Sipu Jha
KHAMMAM: Telangana Jagruthi president Kalvakuntla Kavitha and several supporters were detained by police on Tuesday while staging a hunger strike in Khammam district over the alleged demolition of houses in Velugumatla village. Police took Kavitha and others into custody from Ambedkar Bhavan in Khammam and later shifted them to Hyderabad, officials said. The development comes a day after Kavitha visited Velugumatla village and expressed solidarity with families who claim their houses were demolished during an eviction drive in February. After meeting the affected residents on Monday, she staged a sit-in protest along with them near the statue of B R Ambedkar at the ZP Centre in Khammam city, demanding justice for the displaced families. Kavitha was joined by Visharadhan Maharaj and other supporters during the protest. Police later intervened, stating that the demonstration was held without prior permission, and detained the participants. The protesters were subsequently released after being served notices under Section 41 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Later in the night, Kavitha returned to Ambedkar Bhavan and began an indefinite hunger strike along with residents displaced from Velugumatla, escalating the agitation against what she described as “illegal demolitions”. Speaking to reporters, Kavitha accused the Congress government in Telangana of bulldozing the homes of poor families in Khammam. She said the affected residents had been moved to a shelter that was in poor condition and alleged that district officials had failed to respond to their demands. The controversy centres on the demolition of several houses in Vinoba Nagar area of Velugumatla village, located on the outskirts of Khammam city, in late February 2026. The action reportedly displaced hundreds of families and has since triggered protests and political criticism from opposition groups, including Telangana Jagruthi and the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).(With agency inputs)
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