Just weeks after Telangana forest officer Chole Anitha was thrashed by a mob led by a TRS leader, a case has been registered against the officer under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly abusing tribals.
Reportedly, Nayini Saroja, a resident of Sarsala had filed a complaint against Anitha and 15 other Forest Department officials for allegedly abusing the tribals by taking up their caste names. The case was registered at the Kagaznagar district police.
She has been booked even as she was provided with police protection yesterday. She has been provided with armed security at her house as she had claimed that she feared for her life ever since the mob had attacked her.
On June 30th, Anita was brutally thrashed by a stick-wielding mob at Sarsala forest village. The incident caught on camera went viral a week ago. Anita had gone to the village to conduct a plantation drive with tractors and the staff of the Forest Departement.
Villagers claimed ownership of the land and had objected to the plantation drive. The situation escalated as the mob started to wield sticks and attack the officer. The injured officer was later admitted to the hospital.
The officer had alleged that the mob was led by TRS leader Koneru Krishna Rao who was subsequently arrested on the next day. Krishna is a Zilla Parishad vice-chairman. He had claimed that the Forest Departement officials were harassing the Adivasis and forcefully confiscating their land.
However, in another shocking video, Krishna’s brother, who is also a TRS MLA, Koneru Konappa was caught trying to brainwash the villagers in a bid to twist the sequence of events in front of the media that led to the arrest of Krishna.
Anitha had gone to the village to conduct a mandatory afforestation programme to compensate for the loss of forest land due to the government’s flagship Kaleswaram multipurpose irrigation project.
