Agitated “displaced” poor people of Vinoba Navodaya Colony, joined by a number of leaders of various mass organisations, staged a dharna at the Ambedkar statue in Khammam on Monday, demanding justice.
Telangana President Jagruthi Kalvakuntla Kavitha and Dalit Shakthi Program State President Visharadan Maharaj, who picked up sticks on behalf of the “displaced” residents, squatted on the main road among others and expressed solidarity with the protesters.
Traffic on the main road was disrupted for some time due to the dharna.
A ruckus ensued as the police tried to disperse the agitated protesters. A slight scuffle took place between the police personnel and a section of the protestors. A female guard reportedly passed out in the melee.
Earlier in the dharna, Ms. Kavitha alleged that the recent demolition of poor people’s houses in Velugumatla had made many families of the working masses homeless. Bulldozers razed homes of the poor during the trial season, leaving parents and children of hapless poor families in despair, she said.
The chief minister and district ministers should talk about the plight of the displaced poor people who were badly affected by the demolition, she said, adding that the condition of the displaced poor families was heartbreaking.
Taking a dig at BRS, she said, “Those who tried to tear down your houses in the past are now trying to wash away their sins.”
She demanded that houses for the displaced families be built on the same site where the demolition work was going on in Velugumatla.
Ms. Kavitha said, “Jagruthi along with a number of SC, ST, BC, Dharma Samaj Party and other organizations will stand by the displaced poor people and fight for them until justice is served.
Published – 9 March 2026 21:02 IST
