ADILABAD: On the occasion of the 41st anniversary of the infamous Indravelli police firing, adivasis from erstwhile Adilabad district paid homage to the Raj Gonds who were killed in the police firing on April 20, 1981. On Wednesday, adivasis paid floral tributes at the martyrs column outside Indravelli mandal headquarter and also organised a public meeting.
BJP MP Soyam Bapu Rao, Mulugu Congress MLA Seethakka were among the prominent persons who paid the homage.Speaking on the occasion, MP Soyam Bapu Rao said that the Supreme Court scrapped a government order (GO 3) providing 100 per cent reservation to tribals in the recruitment of teachers in the scheduled areas, as the State Tribal Welfare Minister and tribal welfare officials failed to provide the evidence in the court. The MP urged the State government to bring an ordinance and revive the government order to ensure justice to adivasis.
Bapu Rao also slammed the government for the delay in issuing pattas to podu land cultivators in the district from whom applications were collected by a committee last year. He said the State government has not taken any action after that and is now blaming the Central government for the delay.
He urged the adivasis protesting under the banner of the Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samiti (Thudum Debba), a tribal rights organisation,who moved the Supreme Court seeking the removal of Lambadas from the Scheduled Tribes (STs) list, to continue with their agitations till their demands are met.