Telangana: Villagers attack forest officials in Kalpole forest

NIZAMABAD: Irate people including tribals of Kalpole thanda on Friday attacked forest officials who prevented them from carrying out plantation on forest land in Mopal mandal, resulting in injuries to Nizamabad South forest range officer Radhika and others.

On a tip-off that villagers were ploughing forest land, officials rushed to the spot. They seized a tractor and tried to stop the work. At this, at least 50 tribal and non-tribal people attacked the officials with sticks.

Apart from forest range officer Radhika, others who sustained injuries were Mudakpally forest section officer Sai Krishna, forest beat officers Prasad, Pragath and Limbadri. The victims were shifted to the Government General Hospital in Nizamabad.

Incidentally, forest officials had informed Mopal police about their visit to Kalpole and the threat they perceived from the villagers.

Tension prevailed in Kalpole as a few villagers tried to encroach on 60 acres of forests.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Nizamabad forest divisional officer K. Sudhakar Rao said forest land encroachers had attacked officials with a premeditated plan. Officials were facing a life threat from forest land encroachers, he said.

At forest land protection committee meetings held recently, a few villagers had openly stated that they had encroached on forest land and attacked officials, Sudhakar said. "We will submit a detailed report on the Kalpole incident to higher officials,” the FDO said.