Tribals fall at feet of police personnel in desperation for drinking water in Telangana’s Asifabad

Aboriginal tribals in Asifabad touched the feet of policemen, pleading for drinking water as their villages faced 11 days of dry taps under Mission Bhagiratha. Protesting on a highway, they sought urgent government attention to end the crisis

Adilabad: In a poignant display of desperation, aboriginal tribals from several villages in Kerameri mandal of Kumram Bheem Asifabad district touched the feet of policemen, pleading for uninterrupted drinking water supply under the Mission Bhagiratha scheme.

Carrying empty pots and vessels, the tribals staged a sit-in protest on the Asifabad–Utnoor road on Tuesday, disrupting traffic for some time. They expressed anguish over the lack of drinking water in their villages for the past 11 days, despite the onset of the monsoon.

---

Upon receiving information, police personnel rushed to the site and attempted to disperse the protestors for blocking the road. However, the tribals begged them not to intervene, saying their protest was not against the police, but against government apathy towards their basic need for water.

Moved by the situation, onlookers witnessed as the protestors fell at the feet of policemen, urging them to help resolve the crisis. They said they had been trekking long distances to fetch water from streams and wells as water supply lines had failed to deliver even minimal drinking water to their hamlets.