Land for pharma firm: Congress, BRS play blame game after violence erupts

In Vikarabad, Telangana, a conflict over land acquisition for a pharma company escalated into violence, with farmers allegedly attacking District Collector Prateek Jain and several officials. The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Congress party, each, have blamed the other for the tense situation in the district.
BRS spokesperson M Krishank criticised the Congress-led state government, accusing it of forcibly acquiring farmers’ land to benefit a company tied to the Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s family. Krishank claimed the administration’s aggressive approach left farmers no choice but to protest and warned this could trigger broader unrest in Telangana.
Countering these accusations, Congress MP Chamala Kiran alleged a BRS conspiracy behind the incident, suggesting that BRS members incited the violence to destabilise the Congress-led state government. Kiran emphasised Congress’s commitment to take legal action against those involved.
BJP spokesperson Ramchander Rao, condemned the violence against the district collector while criticising the state government’s approach to land acquisition. He argued: “Taking land without clear dialogue with the farmers is unjust. The government needs to negotiate with farmers or offer alternative land, instead of forcing acquisitions.”
According to Telangana IGP V Satyanarayana, who addressed the media with SP Narayana Reddy, the district collector was engaging with farmers from Lagacherlapalli village to discuss land acquisition terms for a pharma company when tensions escalated.
Farmers reportedly gathered en masse, chanting slogans like “Collector down, down” and “Go back”. They allegedly threw stones, resulting in injuries to Kodangal Area Development Authority (KADA) Chairman Venkat Reddy, Additional Collector Lingyanayak, and DSP Srinivas Reddy.
Three DSPs and 170 police officers attempted to de-escalate the scene, but a violent confrontation ensued. FIRs have been filed against 15 people, and authorities are investigating potential instigators, both local and external. IGP Satyanarayana emphasised that all those responsible would be held accountable.
In response, employees from the collectorate staged a protest, expressing solidarity with their injured colleagues. However, Collector Prateek Jain urged his colleagues to avoid using the term “attack” for the incident. “They called us to talk, and we went to talk,” he said, encouraging employees to resume their duties. “Some people started conspiring, but they are our people, our farmers. Don’t use the word ‘attack’. Investigation will be done,” he assured.