The homage to victims of the infamous Indervelli police firing on April 20, one of the most important annual events for Adivasis in these parts, will be a subdued affair this year thanks to the restrictions enforced by the COVID-19 threat. Adivasi elders have resolved so at a meeting with Utnoor division police chaired by DSP N. Uday Reddy on April 3 and at a meeting of Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samithi or Tudum Debba, their key organisation, chaired by its president Soyam Bapu Rao, who represents Adilabad in Lok Sabha, on April 9.
The word is being spread in aboriginal habitations asking people not to assemble at the Indervelli martyrs memorial column on that day. Only a handful of locals will pay the customary divve niruswal or lighting the lamp to pay homage and respect to the ethnic people who were killed in the firing on that fateful day in 1981.
This will be a low-key affair for the first time since the government started permitting the Adivasis to assemble and pay homage at the martyrs column which was first built in 1983, was demolished two years later, and constructed again in 1986. It was in 1995 that the late Sidam Shambhu, founder of Tudum Debba, began the trend of performing customary puja at the martyrs column which continued as a simple ceremony until 2004 when Mr. Bapu Rao won as MLA from Boath (ST) constituency.
In 2005, the present MP had the then government permitting the homage as a much bigger event. About 150 to 200 Adivasis used to attend the ceremonies which included customary goat sacrifice followed by feasting.
As the Indervelli police firing has its roots in the naxalite movement in this area, the police had always been alert to the involvement of the extremists in the April 20 event at Indervelli mandal head quarter village which is located midway between Gudihatnoor on the NH 44 and Utnoor, the head quarter of all tribal activity. Every year since the divve niruswal ceremony began to be held at the martyrs column, police used to impose prohibitory orders along the road between Gudihatnoor and Utnoor a couple of days ahead of the event.
The weakening of extremist movement in 2004 helped the government ease restrictions and allow more number of aboriginal people to take part in the homage ceremonies. The police, however, never relaxed its vigil so far as Maoist involvement is considered.
