Tension prevailed during the final rites of Forest Range Officer (FRO) Ch Srinivasa Rao on Wednesday, November 23, in Telangana’s Khammam when agitated forest department employees attempted to disrupt the funeral, demanding justice for the slain forest officer. The FRO was killed allegedly by a group of Guttikoya Adivasis over the contentious ‘podu’ (forest) land issue on Tuesday.
Srinivasa Rao’s colleagues attempted to surround Forest Minister Indrakaran Reddy and Transport Minister Puvvada Ajay — who had come to pay their respects to the slain forest officer — with the primary demand of providing them with weapons for their self-protection.
The employees took out a rally, displaying pictures of the deceased FRO and raising slogans demanding justice. Among other demands, the forest department staff demanded increased security to protect themselves, and for the Guttikoya community to be ‘driven away’ from the forest. The officials claimed that the Guttikoya tribe is native to Chhattisgarh, and must be relocated.
On Tuesday, FRO Srinivasa was hacked to death with axes and sickles in Yerrabodu forest in Bhadradri Kothagudem district, when the deceased and other officials went to the Bendalapadu tribal habitation, to prevent an alleged attempt by the residents to remove saplings planted by the forest department. As tensions mounted, the cultivators allegedly attacked the FRO with weapons. He was rushed to a private hospital in Khammam district, where he breathed his last.
The protesting forest department personnel also expressed anger towards the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leaders, for allegedly encouraging the adivasi communities by assuring them that they would be issued ‘pattas’ while simultaneously instructing the forest officials to preserve forest land. “There should be clarity on this. On one hand the leaders are encouraging the Guttikoyas and they are asking us to preserve forests. This has led to a confrontation between us,” said a member of the forest department association.
Sensing trouble, the ministers who had participated in the funeral left the site before the issue escalated. The forest department employees, however, said that they will continue to boycott their duties until their demands are met. “The Guttikoyas are not natives of Telangana, they are from Chhattisgarh. They should be relocated,” said a staff member.
The Guttikoya community, who are engaged in shift agriculture, and the forest department officials have been at conflict with each other over the ‘podu’ lands (forest lands used for shift agriculture). Both the parties claim ownership of these lands. While the forest department claims that the land belongs to the government, the Guttikoyas claim that they have been doing agriculture on forest land for centuries. The conflict has particularly intensified after the government introduced ‘Haritha Haram’ project to enhance forest cover of the state by clearing encroachments and planting saplings.
There have been, in the past, sporadic incidents of violence over ‘podu’ lands. The issue came to the fore when a group of men — led by Sirpur MLA Koneru Konappa’s brother, Koneru Krishna — brutally attacked a woman Forest Range Officer with lathis for planting saplings on forest land as part of the Harita Haram initiative. Acknowledging the issue, the government had planned to resolve the issue by giving title deeds (pattas) to the deserving claimants. Though the process began in November 2021, it was stopped shortly after. The government is presently carrying out a last leg survey to identify podu lands in the forest fringe areas and find a permanent solution to the issue.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has blamed the Telangana government for the death of FRO Srinivasa Rao. They said that the delay in giving title deeds to the Guttikoya community by the government led to the murder of FRO Srinivasa.
The Telangana government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 50 lakh to the deceased’s family along with a job for a member of his family. The Kothagudem police have also arrested two persons -- Tula and P Nanga -- who allegedly killed the FRO.