Lagacharla Episode: After NHRC indictment, KTR demands apology from Revanth

Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao on Tuesday demanded Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to apologise to the Lagacharla farmers and dismiss the police officials involved in brutality after the NHRC in its report pointed out high handedness of the police personnel and their involvement in the sexual harassment and human rights violations of Dalit and tribal girls.

The demand comes in the wake of a damning report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which confirmed the systemic abuse and molestation of women during a controversial land acquisition drive in the village. Addressing a press conference after meeting the victims in Hyderabad’s Nandinagar, said the NHRC’s findings laid bare the ‘barbaric behaviour’ of police personnel, who he accused of acting as a ‘private army’ for Revanth Reddy. “Police officers treated young tribal girls inhumanely, crossing all boundaries of decency.

These are atrocities not just against individuals, but against the very idea of justice,” Rama Rao said. The BRS leader pointed out that the NHRC, led by a retired Supreme Court judge, validated the victims’ allegations after field visits and directed the State government to act against the guilty within six weeks.

It found that police subjected tribal men and women to third-degree torture, threats, and beatings, including inside police stations where CCTV cameras were allegedly non-functional.

KTR recounted harrowing testimonies where one girl told the NHRC that she and her mother-in-law were sexually harassed, while another where a woman was beaten on her thigh. He accused the government of continuing covert operations in Lagacharla despite a High Court stay, and of facilitating land grabs for a pharmaceutical company reportedly linked to the CM’s family.

“This report is a slap in the face of Revanth Reddy’s administration. If he has any dignity left, he should apologise to the Dalit and tribal communities, and step down as the Chief Minister,” said KTR.