Tired of not getting water for four days, villagers in Tirupati fix pump; local 'leaders' thrash them

Tirupati: A clash broke out between residents and local politicians in Kalvabugga village of Kurnool on Saturday. Four persons sustained serious injuries during the incident. Allegedly, the clash took place as the water supply of the village had been suspended for the last four days and the villagers were struggling. 

The water supply was suspended after a starter connected to a motor pump burnt out. For the last four days, the villagers were surviving without water supply. 

The villagers had also approached the local panchayat with their issues but no action was taken to put an end to their woes. Tired of being unheard, the locals decided to fix the starter on their own. 

A group of villagers were trying to fix the starter when a group of local politicians went to the area and stopped them. The politicians allegedly asked the villagers if they had obtained prior permission from the panchayat officials for getting the repair work done. This led to an argument between the two groups and when the argument escalated, both the parties attacked each other with sticks, sickles and stones. 

The police reached the spot when they were informed about the incident and pacified the two groups. Four persons who sustained injuries during the clash were taken to a local government hospital and necessary medical aid was provided to them. 

In-laws set woman on fire over water dispute 

A similar incident came to light from Betul village of Madhya Pradesh in July this year where a woman was allegedly set ablaze during a fight over water. The woman was allegedly set ablaze by her in-laws. The woman's daughter said, "My whole family and grandmother have set my mother on fire. We used to live together previously but later the property was divided. There was a dispute over water. They abused my mother, poured kerosene and set her over fire. "

Assistant superintendent of police (ASP), Betul said that the deceased's brother-in-law and father-in-law used to put a lock on a handpump as their property had been divided. This led to a dispute and the deceased was murdered. After the incident came to light, the police registered a case under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).