TCN News
Forest Range Officer Chole Anita, had gone to Sarasala village in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district yesterday to plant saplings under the ‘Haritha Haram’ scheme initiated by the Telangana Government to plant trees when a mob led by Kuneru Krishna, the vice chairperson, Zilla Parishad began attacking her claiming that the land belonged to them.
Anita tried to pacify the crowd and climbed atop the tractor but they beat her up with wooden sticks.
The land where the plantation program was being carried out allegedly belonged to some tribal farmers who were cultivating there. But the Government claimed that the tribal people had illegally occupied the land and to reclaim the land had planned mass planting of saplings. Range officer Anita had gone there to carry out the plantation program.
But the crowd led by Krishna, the vice chairperson of the zilla parishad, who is also the younger brother of MLA Kuneru Konappa from the TRS party.
C Anita who fractured her hand and suffered some injuries in the attack is now being treated in KIMS Hospital, Hyderabad and has identified the assaulter as Kuneru Krishna. Anita, being aware of the tense situation in the village, had taken 30 policemen and 30 forest guards along with her. But none came to her rescue as she was being hit. It was only after she fell down from the tractor that they came near and took her to the hospital.
The video of the officer being hit has gone viral. K T Rama Rao, son of the Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and the working president of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi has in his tweet said that no one is above law:
I strongly condemn the atrocious behaviour of Koneru Krishna who attacked a forest officer who was doing her job. He has been arrested & a case booked already; no one is above law of the land
— KTR (@KTRTRS) June 30, 2019
Along with Krishna, 16 other people have been arrested and charged with attempt to murder, beating up government officials, damaging public property, possession of deadly weapons and unlawful assembly under Sections 147, 148, 307, 332, 341, 353, and 427 read with 149 of the IPC.
Meanwhile the state police chief has ordered suspension of the DSP and Circle Inspector of the area for their inaction.