Mancherial: Followingthe attack on forest officials on Friday, around 400 forest and police personnel descended on Dammannapet village on Saturday morning. Under tight security, forest officials used machinery to dig trenches in the podu lands being cultivated by tribal communities.

This led to a scuffle between the tribals and forest staff. Media personnel who arrived to cover the situation were denied entry, resulting in a tense atmosphere that lasted for several hours. Concerns are growing among the public about whether forest officials are resorting to inappropriate and abusive tactics while reclaiming podu lands (encroached forest lands). Listening to the voices of tribal women from Dammannapet village in Dandepalli mandal, Mancherial district, one might suspect that these fears are not unfounded. According to tribals, forest officials visited Dammannapet on Friday and asked four individuals to sign bind-over orders. The tribals refused, stating that not just four but the entire community would respond together. The officials left but returned later, allegedly hiding in bushes and secretly filming tribal women while they were bathing.

This enraged the tribals, who united and attacked the officials using chili powder and sticks. “If they truly respected the law, they wouldn’t behave this way toward women,” said the tribals. Sixteen of them have since been booked for assaulting officials. They demand legal action against the officials who filmed the women, stating, “This land is our lifeline. We will not abandon it—whether in life or death.”

Meanwhile, Forest officials reportedly obstructed journalists who came to gather information. They declared that media access to the tribal village was not permitted. With no other option, around 25 journalists staged a protest, and tensions ran high for nearly four hours.

The conflict over podu lands between Dammannapet tribals and forest officials has been ongoing for some time.

Both sides have been accusing each other over approximately 200 acres of land. The tribals, belonging to the Nayakapodu community, claim they have been cultivating and living off this land for the past 30 years. In contrast, forest officials assert that the land legally belongs to the forest department.

A month ago, the district collector visited the tribals and offered counselling. Tribals say he advised them to grow bamboo instead of crops. However, when they proposed cultivating fruit orchards for livelihood, forest officials reportedly rejected the idea.