Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy.
Credit: PTI Photo
Hyderabad: Police handcuffing a Lagacherla farmer while taking him to a hospital sparked a controversy in Telangana on Thursday.
While the opposition BRS had slammed the incident, calling it inhumane and cruel, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has ordered an inquiry.
After suffering a heart attack, the police took a tribal farmer, Hirya Nayak, to the Sangareddy Hospital in handcuffs for medical treatment.
The police arrested him for allegedly attacking the Sangareddy collector and other district officials. Hirya Nayak belonged to Kumta Thanda, and has been protesting against land acquisition in Lagacherla along with other farmers since some time.
BRS working president, K T Rama Rao accused the Revanth Reddy-led government of targeting tribal farmers with vindictiveness.
Instead of providing immediate medical assistance, the government delayed action and handcuffed him while transporting him to the hospital. KTR termed this act as “utterly unacceptable” and a clear violation of human rights.
“This despicable and inhumane behavior cannot be forgiven. Shackling a person suffering from a heart attack reflects the cruelty of the government. Articles 14, 16, and 19 of the Constitution guarantee every individual’s rights, and these actions violate those rights. Even police and jail manuals outline the rights of undertrial prisoners, which have been blatantly disregarded,” KTR told reporters.
KTR also revealed that Nayak suffered a second heart attack due to the lack of timely medical attention. It was only after BRS’ intervention that the government decided to shift him to Hyderabad for advanced care, he added.
Meanwhile, CM Revanth Reddy took serious note of the incident and has ordered a thorough investigation into the matter and instructed senior officials to submit a comprehensive report. The Chief Minister questioned officials about the incident and expressed his displeasure over their action. He demanded to know why it was necessary to handcuff the farmer while taking him to the hospital.