In a disturbing incident, L. Rama Devi, the Executive Officer (EO) of the Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy Temple in Bhadrachalam, Telangana, was physically assaulted by encroachers in Purushothapatnam village, Andhra Pradesh, while attempting to halt illegal constructions on disputed temple land.
The EO fell unconscious during the attack and was rushed to a private hospital in Bhadrachalam. An outsourcing temple employee accompanying her also fell ill and required hospitalization.
The temple, located in Bhadadri Kothagudem district of Telangana, owns 890 acres of land in Purushothapatnam, which was transferred to Andhra Pradesh after the 2014 bifurcation. Despite court orders from the Andhra Pradesh High Court to return the land to the temple, encroachments have continued.
The EO was attacked while inspecting the area in Etapaka Mandal (now part of Alluri Sitharamaraju district of Andhra Pradesh). She was accompanied by staff to prevent ongoing illegal construction when the confrontation occurred.
Telangana Endowments Minister Konda Surekha strongly condemned the assault and warned of invoking the Preventive Detention Act against those involved. She also urged AP CM N. Chandrababu Naidu to take immediate action and resolve the long-standing land dispute.
The temple land lies just 2 km from Bhadrachalam town, situated on the banks of the Godavari River, and is worth crores of rupees. Post-bifurcation, while Bhadrachalam remained with Telangana, seven surrounding mandals, including Purushothapatnam, were transferred to Andhra Pradesh under the Polavaram project submergence clause.
[Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by the Benefit News editorial team and is published directly from the IANS news feed.]

Telangana Temple EO Assaulted Over Land Encroachment

Bhadrachalam Temple EO Injured by Encroachers While Stopping Illegal Construction in AP Village

Telangana Temple EO Assaulted Over Land Encroachment

Bhadrachalam Temple EO Injured by Encroachers While Stopping Illegal Construction in AP Village

July 8, 2025 | 19:53 IST