Farmer climbs atop cell tower alleging official apathy, threatens to end life in Anakapalle district

Visakhapatnam: Alleging that the revenue department officials had transferred his farm land to another person and had turned a blind eye to his representation in this regard, a 42-year-old farmer named L Hari Naga Shankar Rao climbed atop a cell tower at Atchutapuram in Anakapalle district and threatened to kill himself on Thursday.
Hari is a native of G Dharmavaram of Atchutapuram mandal. He claimed that his family owns a piece of farmland in the village, which was grabbed with the support of the revenue officials here.
The 42-year-old farmer claimed that the revenue department officials had been neglecting his complaint for more than a decade. He said that the officials demanded bribes to initiate the process of transferring the land to his name.
Police said that Rao climbed the cell tower at aorund 7:30 am on Thursday. He demanded that the revenue officials addressed his complaint and threatened to jump from the tower if his demand was not considered.
On learning about the incident, the cops and revenue officials rushed to the spot. They talked to the farmer and assured that they would conduct an inquiry into the allegations. After being reassured, the farmer climbed down the tower around 11 am.