TIRUPATI: Nimmanapalle police have registered a case against Telugu Desam Party Chittoor district executive secretary R.G. Venkatesh and another person for allegedly obstructing a forest official from discharging duties and threatening to kill him.
TDP leaders had allegedly warned forest beat officer Prakash of severe consequences if he did not provide way to their farm through forest lands.
According to Nimmanapalle sub-inspector P. Fathima, TDP leader Venkatesh, hailing from Acharlapalle of Nimmanapalle mandal, and two others, S. Krishnamurthy and S. Chenna Kesavulu of Gollapalle, have a patta land in Survey No. 239. As per forest records, there is a three-feet wide walkway from Survey No. 222 through reserved forest to enter the farm lands, which patta owners had been using to access their farms and conduct farming activities.
However, Venkatesh subsequently constructed a 2-km long road from Survey No. 234 to his farm lands. Later, as part of forest land conservation, forest officials dug trenches near Reddyvaripalle and Rachavetivaripalle in 2018. This development closed the road laid by Venkatesh. Thereafter, the TDP leader started forcing forest beat officer Prakash to create a pathway for accessing his lands.
As per a complaint lodged by the forest beat officer on Saturday, Venkatesh had threatened to kill him if he did not allow him the way to his fields. Further, officials said, the TD leader has resorted to filing false complaints of irregularities against Prakash as well as posting fake news against the forest official, SI Fathima stated.
Sources said the forest beat officer was on duty on Friday when Venkatesh and Reddeppa came and threatened him. Prakash then lodged a complaint with Nimmanapalli police against the TDP leader and his accomplice.
Police are investigating the case.
