Korra Kondababu, Vanthala Suresh and Marri Rajababu, members of the Kondu Adivasi community, had been booked on Wednesday for gathering 80 litres of Jeelugu wine
Visakhapatnam: Members of the Andhra Pradesh Girijana Sangham protested at the Narsipatnam Excise Police Station after criminal charges had been filed against three tribal people for collecting the traditional Jeelugu wine.
Korra Kondababu, Vanthala Suresh and Marri Rajababu, members of the Kondu Adivasi community, had been booked on Wednesday for gathering 80 litres of Jeelugu wine.
Andhra Pradesh Girijana Sangham contended that harvesting palm and Jeelugu trees is a customary livelihood activity for many backward caste and tribal communities, particularly from January to mid-June. The sangham highlighted the cultural significance of Jeelugu trees in tribal festivals and rituals.
It condemned the criminal charges, pointing out that formerly, the state government had exempted Adivasi from certain provisions of the Excise Act. They warned that if such action is continued by the excise department, it could lead to imprisonment of thousands of tribal people across districts like ASR and Srikakulam, further marginalising these communities.
The association alleged that a lobby is bribing excise officials to target traditional wine harvesters, aiming to boost their own liquor sales. It demanded that the Anakapalle district collector immediately intervene and address the issue to prevent criminalisation of tribal practices.
The protesters included K. Govinda Rao, district honorary president of Andhra Pradesh Girijana Sangham 5th Schedule Sadhana Committee and members of the Andhra Pradesh Girijana Sangham, Konda Tambali Venkat Rao and Gemila Kamesh.
