KURNOOL: The tale of a tahsildar of Pathikonda, Maheswari, who used a rope to create a ‘lakshmanrekha’, beyond which the people visiting her were not allowed to come, went viral on social media. Though she had done away with the rope, following instructions from higher officials and the social media comments, what had come to the fore was the sense of insecurity that the government officials, especially the women officials were suffering from after the tragic death of tahsildar Vijaya Reddy in Telangana.
The official was burnt alive by a farmer who had approached her in her office, seeking issuance of pattadar passbooks at Abdullapurmet in Ranga Reddy district. The Pathikonda rope incident happened on Tuesday, but it came to light on Wednesday after it went viral on social media. After the death of Vijaya Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh revenue officials, at least some of them, began to feel that they were vulnerable to public attacks and started taking precautions. Tying a rope in front of her in her chamber and using it as a lakshmanrekha was one such precaution taken by Maheswari.
Though the locals, who approached the officer seeking solution to their various problems, especially those related to land, had to remain on the other side of the rope, said that the official was unnecessarily scared as they had never done anything wrong to her, Maheswari had her own reasoning. Replying to the questions posed by mediapersons, Maheswari said that she was scared about her safety.
There had been incidents, where men in inebriated condition had visited her office and behaved brashly and some even got uncomfortably close, she said. As a result of all these, she, after the TS incident not only tied a rope in front of her to keep a safe distance from the visitors, but also passed orders to her subordinates to keep a safe distance from the visitors. The District Tahsildars’ Association has condemned the attack on Vijaya Reddy and demanded safety for the officers.