T'gana woman forest official, other staff booked for abetment to suicide

A woman forest officer, along with others, was booked for abetment to suicide by police. According to reports, the move was initiated after a boy complained that his father tried to kill himself after forest officials entered their agricultural land.

Hyderabad: A woman Forest Range Officer in Telangana has been booked for abetment to suicide after a boy complained to police that his father tried to kill himself after forest officials entered their agricultural land, police said.

This is the second case against the Kagaznagar FRO, C Anitha.

On July 6, Anitha and a few other forest officials were booked under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act after a tribal woman complained to police that she and her staff entered her field and "abused" some of them.

On June 30, the day tribal woman registered her complaint, Anitha was attacked and injured by a group allegedly led by the brother of a ruling TRS MLA in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad district.

The TRS leader, Koneru Krishna Rao, and his followers were arrested and Anitha was provided security in view of the "threat perception", police said.

On June 8, a 16-year-old boy complained to Easgaon police that his father attempted suicide by consuming pesticide when a few forest officials entered their agriculture land in Sarasala village during a plantation drive and "abused" him, police said.

Anitha and three other forest officials were booked under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) and other relevant sections of IPC, police said.

However, Kagaznagar Forest Divisional Officer M Raja Ramana Reddy told reporters that the FRO and the range staff went to the area for clearance of weed and some villagers stopped them and also tried to attack them.

The FDO claimed the mob spread a rumour that the man consumed pesticide but he was doing fine.

He termed the complaint "fake" and said the man was not a tribal and belonged to the backward class community and the land where planting work was to be taken up, is a forest area and some non-tribals had encroached it.

Reddy said registration of fake cases against forest officials were not justified as it affected the morale of the staff and requested superior officials to ensure the officials are able to perform their legitimate duties.

He claimed some local public representatives were "instigating and provoking" tribal leaders to encroach forest lands in Kagaznagar.