Hyderabad : Tension prevailed at the Kothapet Fruit Market here today when a papaya farmer who came to sell his harvest was allegedly assaulted by few unidentified dealers here today morning.
Police said the farmer Chandraiah, a native of Nagarkurnool, had come to sell papayas in the fruit market here for the first time. While he was selling the fruits, some dealers stated to be middlemen, approached him and inquired about his antecedents. They picked up a few fruits from the stall to which Chandraiah objected. “They argued over this and the argument ended up in a scuffle. The dealers assaulted the farmer” police said.
Based on a complaint, the Chaitanyapuri police booked a case and took up investigation.
On coming to know of the incident, Marketing Minister S Niranjan Reddy telephoned to the Director of Marketing and instructed him to take stringent action against those who attacked the farmer and cancel their licenses. He wanted the Director to ensure that such incidents would not recur. He also asked the Director to inquire into the matter and send a report to him. (NSS)