Woman forest dept official assaulted in Telangana, TRS MLA's brother held

Many forest officers, including FRO Anitha, were attacked by a group of local farmers in Telangana's Komaram Bheem Asifabad district on Sunday. The injured were immediately taken to a private hospital.

Komaram Bheem Asifabad: A Telangana woman forest department official was injured on Sunday when she was attacked by some people, allegedly led by the brother of a TRS MLA, at a village in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district over a land issue.

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 department officials said that C Anitha, Forest Range Officer, has been hospitalised. They said Anitha had gone to Sarasala village with some officials to plant saplings as part of the government's 'Haritha Haram' green initiative programme when some villagers, led by Krishna, attacked them with bamboo poles, claiming that the land belongs to them.

A video footage of the attack, which went viral, shows Anitha climbing a tractor to escape the attack and Krishna and other villagers hitting the vehicle. An unidentified man is then seeing hitting the woman official.

Speaking to reporters from the hospital, Anitha alleged that Krishna first hit her with a bamboo stick, followed by the others in the group.

Telangana Principal Chief Conservator of Forest PK Jha said the land where the officials went belonged to the forest department and the MLA was also informed about it. He said the department would take this issue seriously "at a higher level".

"It was forest land. I was given to understand that earlier there were some attempts to encroach it. That time our people got them vacated. It was totally under our control. There is no cultivation. His (MLAs) brother was there (during the attack)," said Jha.

Kannappa could not be reached for his reactions. Koneru Krishna Rao was recently elected as vice chairman of the Komaram Bheem Asifabad zilla parishad.