Tension broke out at Koya Poshamguda village in Dandepalli mandal of Mancheiral district on Friday when a group of aggrieved Adivasi women put up stiff resistance to the attempts by the Forest department personnel to remove their tents/ makeshift shelters terming them as “illegal structures” in the reserve forest area.
A large posse of forest staff, accompanied by police, arrived at the site as part of what they called “anti-encroachment drive” to remove the “illegal structures” from the forest land, sources said.
The aggrieved Adivasis mainly women, inhabiting the makeshift shelters, put up strong resistance to the drive claiming that they were engaged in “podu cultivation” in the lands for many years.
But the forest staff disapproved their claims saying they were not entitled for pattas under the RoFR Act citing the cut-off date of December 13, 2005, sources added.
Chaotic scenes were witnessed with the angry tribal women, some wielding sticks in their hands and a few others carrying their babies in their lap, tried to prevent the forest staff from pulling down their tents, amid drizzle.
However, the joint team of the forest and police personnel rounded up the area with ropes and brought down the tents amid loud protests by the aggrieved tribal women.
As tension escalated, the forest staff dispersed the angry protesters from the spot.
