Pervert official seeks sex for Rythu Bandhu Scheme money

​Gadwal: In a disgraceful act, a Revenue official has allegedly been harassing a woman beneficiary of Rythu Bandhu Scheme (RBS) for sexual favours in exchange for Rythu Bandhu Scheme cheque in Chinnampadu village in Jogulamaba Gadwal district. Vexed over the harassment, the victim and her daughters approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).  

Taking advantage of her weakness and sensing that she has no strong male support in her family, Tahsildar of Manavapadu Mandal in Jogulamaba Gadwal district Muneppa had been harassing the woman Ramulamma and sought sexual favours to issue of RBS cheque and new pattadar passbook on her name, the victim alleged. 

Ramulamma possesses 1.06 acres of land which was transferred in her name after the death of her husband. Ramulamma, along with her two daughters Tippamma and Indiramma, have been making a living on the land for the past three-four years.  However, the husband of Tippammma, the elder daughterhad lost his hands and legs in an accident and there is no male support to the family. 

In addition to it, some distance relatives of her husband are now creating litigations in the Mandal Revenue Office (MRO) and seeking share on the land possessed by Ramulamma. Though earlier despite repeated requests by Ramulamma to the Revenue officials for mutation of the land in the revenue records in her name, the authorities cited civil disputes over the land and not entered the details into the ROR. 

However, after the State government initiated the land record purification drive, the Revenue officials were forced to record the said land into the revenue records and also sanctioned RBS cheque and even issued new pattadar passbook on the woman’s name.  

As the issue was resolved and RBS cheque was sanctioned in the name of the victim, one day Muneppa called Ramulamma and one of her daughters Tippamma to his office and sought sexual favours in return for the cheque and the passbook, by disposing of all kinds of litigations. If not, the Tahasildar had threatened the woman and her daughter that he would instigate the earlier litigants to file a civil disputes case on the said land and cancel the RBS cheque and stop the land passbook, alleged the woman. 

The official said he was taking Rs 2,000 from each beneficiary of the RBS and if the woman agreed for sexual favour, he would exempt her from the said money and would issue cheques and land passbook without creating any problems.

However, as the woman and her daughter refused the proposal, he verbally abused both the women and asked them to go wherever they wanted to, but he would never issue them the RBS benefits, she alleged. Reacting to her plea, the NHRC has issued notice to District Collector of Gadwal and sought a detailed report on the case in nine days.