Adivasis suffer as cops intensify ops

Adivasis staging dharna in front of the police station 

Adivasis in the district have become victims of intensified operations against Maoists. Special party and greyhound police have intensified combing along the river Pranahitha on the information of Maoists movements.

Police took two Adivasis Sidam Srinivas of Ravulapalli and Kudimetha Sugunaiah of Tempergoan of Dahegoan mandal into their custody branding them as Maoist sympathizers and helping them on March18.

The condition of the Srinivas deteriorated on being allegedly beaten up indiscriminately by the police during interrogation and subsequently he consumed pesticide.

There is no clarity whether Srinivas himself consumed pesticide or police forced him to consume pesticide March19 evening.

However, police shifted Srinivas to a private hospital in Mancherial for treatment as his condition was deteriorated further.

On the other hand, police released Sugunaiah only when Adivasis, leaders of Left parties and Adivasi Girijana Sangham staged a protest in front of the police station demanding the release of Sugunaiah on Sunday.

MLA Koneru Konappa claimed that the two Adivasis were innocent. The MLA visited the hospital and comforted Srinivas who was undergoing treatment.

News is making rounds in the political circles that Konappa has brought the issue to the Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and complained against the district police with regard to police harassing the Adivasis branding them as Maoist sympathizers.

Things are fast changing in the Adilabad district after a top police officials meeting in connection with Maoists held at Devapur few days ago. District police intensified combing along with river Pranahitha and Godavari in the district.

Police suspect that Maoists are sneaking into district crossing the river Pranahitha and some locals extending their support to Maoists in their activities.