T’gana forest official assaulted

Hyderabad, June 30

A Telangana woman Forest Department official was injured today when she was attacked by a group of people allegedly led by the brother of a TRS MLA at a village in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. Superintendent of Police Malla Reddy said Koneru Krishna, brother of TRS MLA Koneru Kannappa, has been arrested and booked under various Sections of the IPC. Forest Range Officer C Anitha has been hospitalised.

Along with other officials, she had gone to Sarasala village to plant saplings as part of the government’s ‘Haritha Haram’ green initiative when villagers, led by Krishna, attacked them with bamboo poles, claiming the land belonged to them. A video footage of the attack, showing Anitha climbing a tractor to save herself and an unidentified man hitting her went viral on the social media.

Speaking to the media from the hospital, Anitha alleged that Krishna was the first to hit her with a bamboo stick. Telangana Principal Chief Conservator of Forest PK Jha said the land belonged to the department and the MLA was informed about the officials’ visit.

“It was forest land. I was given to understand that earlier there were some attempts to encroach it. That time our people got the area vacated. It was under our control. There is no cultivation on the land. His (MLAs) brother was there (during the attack),” Jha said. Koneru Krishna Rao was recently elected vice-chairman of the Komaram Bheem Asifabad zilla parishad.

Meanwhile, TRS working president KT Rama Rao has condemned the incident and reprimanded the accused for “atrocious behaviour”. In a tweet, Rao wrote: “I strongly condemn the atrocious behaviour of Krishna who attacked a forest officer who was doing her job. He has been arrested and a case registered. No one is above law.” — PTI / TNS