Police, revenue officials remove 3,000 huts near Renigunta

Tirupati: In a swift action, police removed about 3,000 huts put up by the homeless poor in Renigunta mandal on Tuesday. A big contingent of 600 police and revenue officials along with nine JCBs descended on the sprawling area early in the morning when the homeless poor were asleep in their huts and started dismantling.

Shocked and surprised at the sudden development, the poor tried to stop the police from removing their huts but the police mercilessly pushed aside the poor people and saw that all the huts were removed.

The operation of the removal of the huts went on for seven hours from 3 am to 7 am amidst cries and wailing of the poor who could not protect their huts before the strong police force and were evicted from the site.

Before launching the operation, the police arrived at Taraka Rama Nagar located near the site and confined the people of the colony to their homes and prevented them from coming out in support of the homeless poor.

Police also kept CPM activists under house arrest in Renigunta, Tirupati and Srikalahasti. The leaders who were placed under house arrest include Kandarapu Murali in Tirupati, Anjeri Pullaiah in Srikalahasti and Hari in Renigunta.

The CPM leaders criticised the government for the removal of huts and added that the police were remaining silent on the land grabbers and the leaders illegally occupying the government lands but acting ruthlessly on the homeless poor.