HYDERABAD: A day after forest department staff and tribals clashed over the podu land issue in Mancherial district, the department has clarified that it is only trying to stop encroachment of the Kawal Tiger Reserve. Countering allegations of manhandling tribals, the department has claimed it was in fact the tribals who attacked the forest staff.
Eight adivasi women and two women forest staff were injured in clashes at Koya Poshaguda in Dandepally mandal of Mancherial district on Friday. Forest officials booked cases against seven adivasi women. Police and forest staff were deployed on the to remove the tribals' huts and take the cultivators into their custody.
The videos of the clash went viral on social media, in which forest staff were seen dragging an adivasi woman on the ground while her clothes got torn.
On Saturday, the department issued a release stating that the area over which the clashes were held was a part of the tiger reserve and no cultivation currently exists in the area.
As per the department, Koya Poshaguda villagers started clearing the forest in November 2021, but were stopped for a few months after they were counselled but they resumed clearing the forest in May 2022 and only women were utilised for the activity.
In this process, a large number of trees were felled. As per the forest department, several forest officers visited the site and urged the villagers to clear it, but the tribals did not comply as they reportedly had support from many political parties and some adivasi federations, stated the forest department.
It further alleged that huts adjoining the reserve were erected at Koya Poshaguda just a few days ago and children were also made to reside in them to gain sympathy. As a result, the police and forest officials removed their huts. In response, the department says the tribals threw chilli powder on them, beat them with sticks, threw rocks on them and damaged an official jeep. Forest officials say they recovered as much as 50kg of chilli powder from the tribals on Friday.
