Panic grips revenue officers after Tahasildar's attack

Uneasy calm and fear has gripped government offices in both the Telugu states following the attack on Abdullapurmet Tahasildar Vijaya Reddy, who was burnt alive on November 4 by an aggrieved farmer alleging undue delay in issuing him a Pattadar Passbook. The revenue staff who interact with general public are scared the most. While few have set up barriers so that people cant approach them directly, others have sought police protection while on duty.

In Pattikonda of Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, tahasildar Umamaheswari has tied a rope between her seat and visitors' seats. She has directed the officials to send the visitors with representations one after another. Umamaheswari is reported to have told the local scribes, “After the Vijaya Reddy incident, I have decided to protect my life. So I got this rope at least as a visual boundary so that visitors can't come close to me,” she said. She said that many come and stand next to her while she is looking into their petition. She says that she can't allow anyone close to her seat anymore.

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After the Vijaya Reddy incident, five more incidents took place in the last few days where the perturbed public tried to grab attention of the officers, leaving the officials fear for life. In Telangana, Tadwai police station constable Srinivasa Reddy allegedly made a threatening call to Kamareddy Tahasildar Rajendra Kumar on Wednesday, and warned him of dire consequences for not completing his work.

In Ramakuppam in Andhra’s Chittoor district, a family of five, including two women, made hanging knot with ropes and sarees outside the office of local tahasildar on Wednesday. They were protesting that the tahasildar office had issued pattas of their land, which they were cultivating from the past 40 years, to someone else.

In Dookulapadu village in Narsannapet block of Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, a farmer Allu Jagannadha Rao, doused himself in petrol and threw some on the village officials at a gram sabha but police and fellow villagers foiled his attempt. He rued that the village secretary is responsible for the denial of Rytu Bharosa benefit to him.

In Vemulavada of Telangana, a former councilor staged a protest by dancing to funeral procession rhythms in front of the tahasildar’s office. He was protesting against delay in issuing his land ownership documents. At Gundala tahasildar office in Yadadri district, a woman asked the tahasildar to return the bribe she had paid them for her Pattadar passbook. At the time, the revenue officials were staging protest against the murder of Vijaya Reddy.

Revenue officials say that there is tremendous pressure on them to issue Pattadar passbooks as the Rytu Bharosa scheme in Andhra Pradesh and Rytu Bandhu scheme in Telanagana depend on it. While Andhra Pradesh doles out Rs 9,000 per acre, Telangana gives Rs 10,000 per acre.