2 Killed In Police Firing In Ap

Two farmers were killed and eight others injured when police opened fire at a farmers' agitation protesting against the hike in farm power and water ratesin the Godavari delta yesterday .

The police action came as the agitating farmers burnt a government bus and attacked the Circars Express, damaging a bogey, and snapped telephone wires at Kaldhari within Kovvur limits. The injured were admitted to the Tanuku Hospital.

An echo of the incident was heard in the Assembly when home minister A Madhava Reddy explained the circumstances which led to the firing.

Reddy said the Rythanga Samakhya, which spearheaded the agitation over the past weeks, had called off the agitation on August 31 following the Chief Minister's announcement reducing the farm power tariff.

 

But a splinter group of the Samakhya wanted to continue the agitation and resorted to a rasta roko agitation yesterday. Lathi-charge was resorted to at two places near Eluru town when the agitators burned a sub-station of the electricity board.

Opposition members demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident.