Hyderabad: A probe is underway to find out persons who mobilised and instigated a large crowd which encroached into 445 acre land at Miyapur, worth thousands of crores of rupees, and pelted stones on police
The land, which is under the control of Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA),
After the crowd pelted stones at police, they arrested Sangeetha and 13 others and served notices under Section 41(a) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). “Swamy Naik and Srinivas Naik from Nadigadda Thanda allegedly provoked people from their community by constructing a temple on the land,” said a source in the police department.
However, HMDA officials claimed that Sangeetha, Swamy and Srinivas from Nadigadda Thanda were following instructions from land sharks, who were keen to encroach the land.
“A total of 16 parties are claiming the land. While 15 are associations, which include the ones from the real estate business, the one is a family. The cops need to find out the persons who mobilised this mob,” said a HMDA official.
The official said those arrested by the police cannot mobilise such a large crowd.
“In addition to neighbouring districts of Hyderabad, people from Karnataka and Maharashtra were also present and the onus of catching hold of the ones behind this mob is with the police department,” he said.
Verification with the officials of HMDA and Revenue department revealed that there was a planned attempt to encroach this land located in prime location.
On June 1, some people from Hyderabad neighbouring districts trespassed into the land and a case was also booked on eight people. Later on June 19 , 20 and 21, another attempt was made and this time dozens of people thronged to the land parcel and tried to make the land parcel livable by setting up huts, stalls, arrangements for drinking water supply etc.
By June 22, with the encroachers forwarding WhatsApp videos asking people to come to the site if they wanted a portion of land or 2BHK house, the situation turned tense with over 2,000 people gathering at Miyapur land and pelting stones on cops who tried to vacate them.
The state government, a couple of years ago, had booked cases against two companies — Trinity Infraventures and Suvishal PowerGen — for trying to encroach this government land.
While the police personnel are getting the land vacated, the HMDA, which controls the land, plans to fence the land parcel with Rs 4.5 crore. At 60 entry points of the site, trenches are being set up and police pickets are also in place.
A temporary office at the site has been set up which will later be converted into a permanent one and four security guards will be deployed by the HMDA. An officer of the deputy tahshildar cadre will take the attendance of these guards everyday and all measures to protect the land will be taken up,” said a HMDA official.