KHAMMAM: Tension prevailed for quite some time at Thummalacheruvu area in Aswapuram mandal on Friday after local tribals entered into an altercation with police and forest officials over podu land issue. The clashes began when hundreds of police and forest officials reached Thummalacheruvu, where scores of tribals have been staging a protest for the past few days against the authorities’ move to clear podu lands. When the cops tried to forcibly remove crops from the podu lands, the tribals obstructed the officers by jumping in front of the giant earthmovers.
In the meantime, the scene escalated quickly when the cops tried to shift the protestors from the site. While a few woman tribals threatened to kill themselves by consuming pesticide, one protestor, Gundu Laxmi, went ahead with the it and drank a few drops of the chemical. Laxmi, who fell unconscious following the bid, was shifted to a government hospital in Aswapuram.
Irked by this incident, the tribals started shouting slogans against the officials and demanded that they leave the site immediately. However, the cops managed to disperse the protestors by using force.According to sources, more than 200 tribals claim that they have been cultivating in these lands for past 22 years. Aswapuram CI Satla Raju said a case has been registered against as many as 30 tribals.