The handful of Adivasis who had come to the Indervelli martyrs memorial column on Monday to pay homage to the victims of the infamous Indervelli police firing of April 20, 1981, made the event sombre one as they observed the inevitable social distance related with COVID-19 preventive measures while performing their traditional rituals. The police had kept a close watch on the proceedings in the interest of all concerned by preventing physical proximity between individuals while going about their task.
The traditional puja for paying homage to the departed was sans the traditional music and started a little earlier than usual. While elders paid their respects and also performed the puja at the Inderai temple in Indervelli mandal headquarters, Adilabad MP Soyam Bapu Rao arrived after the ceremonies to offer his homage.
Utnoor DSP N. Uday Reddy who was monitoring the event closely also paid a visit to the martyrs memorial column. The police had set up temporary check points on either side of Indervelli mandal headquarters for conducting checks on vehicles passing through the Gudihatnoor-Utnoor main road.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that a band of Maoists, reported to be moving in the area since the last few weeks, also paid homage to the police firing victims.
