Tuesday's nasty turn in the ongoing dispute over "podu" (forest) lands resulted from an attack by some Guttikoyala tribal members in Telangana's Bhadradri Kothagudem district. The attack killed a forest official. After a few hours of fighting for his life, Chandrugonda Forest Range Officer (FRO) Chalamala Srinivasa Rao passed away due his severe injuries in a hospital in Khammam. Indrakaran Reddy, the forest minister, expressed grief at the loss of Ranger Srinivasa Rao in the attack of Guttikoyala tribe. The family members have received his sincere sympathies. "It is not acceptable to attack the officers on duty," he added, adding that forest encroachments will not be accepted if the government is genuinely trying to solve the podu land issue. He declared that the infringers will face legal repercussions. The morale of the forest officials shouldn't drop, according to Minister Indrakaran Reddy. We'll make sure that such occurrences don't occur again," he said.
