Medak villager dies by suicide after alleged forest officials’ harassment

A 55-year-old villager in Medak allegedly died by suicide after he and his son were taken into custody over the killing of a monitor lizard. The family alleged harassment by forest officials, while the DFO said there was evidence against them.

Medak: Suspected harassment by forest department officials forced a villager, Bussa Pochaiah, to hang himself in the village on Monday morning. The deceased, Bussa Pochaiah (55), and his son Raghupathi were taken into custody by forest authorities on charges of killing a monitor lizard three days ago.

Raghupati alleged that forest officers Arjun Chary and Sai Krishna had beaten them black and blue multiple times and that they were summoned to present themselves at the forest office again on Monday. Raghupathi lamented that his father Pochaiah hanged himself in the early hours of Monday at their residence.

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He maintained that they had not hunted the monitor lizard, but their dog had hunted and killed it while they were collecting firewood in the forest. Even though they pleaded with the forest officials, the officers beat him multiple times. Raghupathi said that the officers further threatened to make them visit their office for the next one month. The family of Pochaiah demanded that the police file criminal cases against the officers besides paying compensation to them. Speaking to ‘Telangana Today’, District Forest Officer (DFO) M Joji said that the officers had enough evidence that the monitor lizard was killed by them. He further said that the officers had found multiple photographs in the accused’s mobile phone showing their earlier hunting activities involving monitor lizards in the forest area.