Mild tension as forest officials, villagers clash in Asifabad

Both forest officials and villagers reportedly came to blows after a heated argument over ownership of the land. However, police pacified the two groups.

Kumram Bheem Asifabad: Mild tension prevailed for a while when villagers and forest officials clashed over a piece of forest land at Thungeda village in Rebbena mandal on Friday. A forest team of seven, including two women officials, had tried to prevent the villagers from allegedly occupying the forest land.

It is learned that the forest officials tried to stop the villagers from tilling 14 acres of land situated in Thungeda beat and Thakkalapalli section. The two sides had a heated argument over the ownership of the land, during which the villagers allegedly attacked the forest officials with sticks and axes, resulting in tension for a brief time.

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Upon learning about the clash, police rushed to the spot and pacified the two groups. The injured forest officials were admitted to a primary health centre in Rebbena mandal centre. It is learnt that the villagers and forest officials were at loggerheads over the land for over a year. The villagers were planning till the land to raise crops in the coming agriculture season.

Asifabad Forest Range Officer Appalakonda said around 50 villagers attacked the forest officials for preventing them from “encroaching” upon the land belonging to the department. The villages had attempted to occupy the land at regular intervals in the past, he said.

On the other hand, the villagers said they were tilling the land for 30 years and that the forest officials assaulted them. They alleged that the officials were illegally grabbing the land from them and urged district authorities to probe into the incident.