Forest Range Officer Chalamala Srinivasa Rao (42) was declared dead on arrival at a hospital after being attacked by a tribal person.
Forest Range Officer Chalamala Srinivasa Rao, 42 was brought dead after the attack from a sickle by a Guthikoya tribe person. (Supplied)
A Forest Range Officer died on Tuesday, 22 November, in the Bendalapadu forest area in the Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana when he was attacked by podu (forest) land cultivators with sickles.
Forest Range Officer Chalamala Srinivasa Rao (42) was declared dead on arrival when he was taken to a hospital after being allegedly attacked with a sickle by a Guthikoya tribe person.
The police said a group of podu land cultivators attempted to remove saplings of trees — planted by forest officials — by getting their animals to graze on the land.
Forest Range Officer Chalamala Srinivasa Rao and Forest Section Officer T Rama Rao prevented their attempts. In response, the podu land cultivators attacked them with sickles.
The police said in the evening that two tribal individuals — identified as Nanda and Tula — had been arrested in connection with the incident.
“The animals of the tribe were grazing the sapling planted by the forest department. The watcher, Ramu, called the range officer on observing this,” a local police official told South First.
Range Officer Srinivas Rao and Beat Officer T Rama Rao arrived at the site, said the police, adding that the tribal and the officers got into an argument.
“When the watcher and the beat officer were herding the animals away from the land and Srinivas Rao was taking a video from afar, a person from behind came and attacked him with a sharp sickle. He fell on the spot,” the police official told South First.
Rama Rao managed to escape from the spot, but Srinivas Rao was seriously injured in the attack.
Srinivas Rao was admitted to the Primary Health Centre (PHC) at Chandrugonda and later shifted to the Khammam Government Hospital for better treatment, where he was declared dead on arrival.
A case has been registered and an investigation is underway, police added.
Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao expressed deep shock over the death of Srinivasa Rao. He directed DGP Mahender Reddy to take legal action to ensure that the culprits were punished severely.
The chief minister also announced an ex gratia of ₹50 lakh to the family of the deceased and a job to a member of the family.
He also ordered officials to provide full salary to the family of Srinivasa Rao till what would have been his age of retirement.
KCR also asked Forest Minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy and Khammam’s Joint District Minister Ajay Kumar Puvvada to attend the funeral of the officer.
The chief minister said that attacks on government employees who were performing their duties would not be tolerated.
“The culprits will be severely punished. On this occasion, the chief minister has assured that the government will stand by the government employees to perform their duties without any hindrance,” said a statement.
According to police, there are around 100 acres of land in the Bendalapadu forest area, which is under conflict.
The tribals claim the land as theirs, while the government said it is forest land. At present, the forest officials have planted sampling on 25 acres of this land.
Last month, there was a conflict between tribal people and a forest officer in the Khammam district over the encroachment of forest land, which tribals call their podu land.
There have been many incidents where there was a conflict between forest officials and tribal people over podu land.
Podu (slash-and-burn) cultivation is the main source of agriculture in the tribal districts of Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem.
The Telangana government has started its flagship programme Haritha Haram, under which it has targeted to plant 230 crore saplings to increase the state’s forest cover from 24 percent to 33 percent.
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