KHAMMAM: In an inhuman act, a Forest Department official not only beat up four tribal women but yanked off sarees of two of them in deep jungles near Sakivalasa village in Mulakapalli mandal of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district on Thursday but the outrage came to light only on Friday.
According to sources, the tribal women went into the forest to collect firewood when Forest Section Officer N Mahesh stopped and shouted at them for “stealing” firewood.
The tribal women reportedly told him that they were picking up fallen twigs on the ground and that they were not felling any trees or stealing firewood from the forest. The “defiance” of the tribals infuriated the officer who beat them with a stick as they began fleeing, pulled off sarees of two women, leaving them dishevelled. He then left the scene.
The shocked women returned to their village and apprised village elders of the humiliation they had been put through. One of them then rushed to Kurasala Ganapathi, sarpanch of a nearby village Rachannagudem, and described the heinous act perpetrated by the Forest Department official.
As it was late already, the sarpanch visited Mulakapalli on Friday and after discussing the issue with others, decided that the women should prefer lodging a complaint with Mulakapalli Police on Saturday.
The four women were among the 40 to 50 families who had migrated to Mulakapalli from Chhattisgarh about 20 years ago. They eke out a living by working as daily wage labourers and they also frequently go into the forest to collect firewood.
When contacted, Mahesh denied misbehaving or beating up the tribal women though he admitted that he had asked them to leave the place. “I did not beat them. Neither did I try to disrobe them. It is a blatant lie,” he said.
Meanwhile, CPI (ML) New Democracy State joint secretary Potu Ranga Rao demanded stringent action against the forest official. He wanted to know if it was a crime for women to fetch firewood from the forest area. He said there seems to be no end to the harassment of innocent tribals by the forest staff. “The official should be suspended forthwith,” he said.
Blatant lie, says official
When contacted, Forest Section Officer N Mahesh said: “I have neither beaten them up nor tried to disrobe them. It is a blatant lie.”