POLICE RELEASE TRIBAL LEADER

By Our Staff Reporter

The Hindu June 19, 1998

KHAMMAM, June 18:

In a swift operation, police forces which reached the Achyutapuram village from all divisions of Khammam district early on Thursday, quelled the tribal protesters and secured the release of the Palvancha Revenue Divisional Officer, Ms Suryakumari, and the Sub Divisional police Officer of Sthupally, Mr. N. Venkateswara Rao who were held hostage in the protest camp through out the night.

They also set free the tribal leader, Mr. S. Chandrasekhar who had for the last one week been in police custody. He was handed over to the protesters in the presence of the Superintendent of Police, Mr. P.S.R. Anjaneyulu, and other officials present on the spot around 5 a.m. They cleared the road traffic which was blocked for over 20 hours in the Rajahmundry-Aswaraopet-Hyderabad highway.

The Tribals, who were in a defiant mood, refused to give up the protest without a positive assurance from the district administration on their demand for distribution of Government land identified in the occupation of non-Tribals. But the Superintendent of Police disallowed discussion on any issue other than the release of Mr. Chandrasekhar.

He assured the Tribals to arrange a meeting with the officials concerned for a detailed discussion on the land related problems at Kodipandaldibba village on June 22. After repeated warnings, the police forces swung into action and made the Tribals to leave the road point. Leaders of Sakti, Mr. S. Venkateswarlu, mr. P. Ramesh, Mr. T. jagadeeswar Rao, condemned the police action.

Describing it as an attempt to undermine the tribal rights which were sought to be safeguarded under Regulation 1/70, they questioned the need for meeting out such rough treatment to the tribal leader, Mr. Chandrasekhar. The police have kept tab on the Sakti activists in the area for the past three months. Thy arranged meeting s between the tribal leaders and the district Minister in a bid to resolve the land issue.

Mr. Chandrasekhar, who was involved in mobilizing the Tribals on the land issue kept on avoiding the police. Annoyed by his disregard to their summons, the local police picked him up from his village and detained him at the district headquarters for questioning. As the police did not give them any information on his whereabouts, the Tribals took recourse to agitation.

The officials were of the view that the tribal problem had of late become a political issue and the protesters were instigated by a section of non-tribal leaders. They were provided with monetary and material support by the non-Tribals only, they said. They made it clear that the problem can only be managed for sometime and finding a solution might be difficult'

TENSION BUILDING UP IN TRIBAL VILLAGES

By our staff Reporter

The Hindu, October 26, 1998

DAMMAPET (Khammam Dt). 25 :

Tension is building up in the scheduled area villages of Dammapet and Aswaraopet mandals with tribal groups visiting the fields once again, warning farmers against putting up tobacco barns. They resumed the practice of raiding the farms and gardens wherever the crops are turning ripe. With the harvest season approaching, the tribals are Turning hostile to non-tribals farmers.

A group of tribal activists led by Mr. Soyam Bojji and Mr. Punem Ramesh organized meetings in the habitations around Malkaram village and warned farmers against harvesting the crop in the disputed lands without an amicable settlement. In Pedagolagudem village, a non-tribal leader was asked to pay a penalty of Rs. 1000 for claiming to have bribed the tribals for buying their silence. Another farmer, who was all set for moving to market the crop from the banana plantation this week, was prevented from doing so.

The tribals, despite differences within their leadership, seem to be acting as per a strategy. They allowed the farmers to make investments as usual in kharif crops raised on both the patta lands and Government lands in their occupation. They extended all cooperation to the officials in identifying the lands in illegal occupation of the farmers. They also helped the officials in identifying the tribal families with zero holdings in the villages for land assignment.

At the crucial stage, however, the tribal leaders made it clear that they would not settle for anything less than distribution of total land under illegal occupation by the non-tribals. What really spurred the tribal's leaders back into action is a virtual split in the volunteers of the Sakti Organisation working in the district. Mr. Soyam Venkateswarlu. Who has so far led the tribal agitation in the area, is at loggerheads with another group of tribals led by Mr. Punem Ramesh and Mr. Soyam Bojji.

While mr. Venkateswarlu is close to the ruling Telugu Desam Party, Mr. Punem Ramesh and Mr. Bojji are trying hard to disprove the allegations they are acting at the behest of Congress leaders, particularly the Jalagam group in the district. Mr. Ramesh said he had been in the Congress once upon a time and that at present; he had nothing to do with any political party.

Resenting the announcement made by Mr. Soyam Venkateswarlu expelling him and his supporters from the Sakti recently, he said he had for the pat one year been working only for be cause of the tribals and would continue to do so in future as well.

A meeting of supporters of both Mr. Venkateswarlu and Mr. Ramesh held in Rasurupalli village last week witnessed trading of charges. The leaders decided to part ways and concentrate on their respective areas without hampering the interests of the tribal community. Subsequently, both groups stepped up their activities in the villages to assert their importance in their respective areas. They were busy demarcating patta lands and government lands in illegal enjoyment by planting palm twigs.

Yet another tribal group, which also owed its allegiance to the Sakti, is being headed by Mr. soyam Chandrasekhar of Kotturu village. Mr. Chandrashkhar, who in the very beginning of the agitation incurred the wrath of police in the process of organizing the tribals of the Malkaram area, has been maintaining a distance from all political parties. Mr. Chandrashekhar was given about 4.5 acres as part of the land distribution programme but it did not silence him.

He said the land given by the administration would be enjoyed collectively by landless tribals until the land problem was solved permanently. The Sakti, which has been making all out efforts to reorganize itself in Khammam district is planning to bring him into the forefront of the agitation along with some women leaders.

Counter-measures

Meanwhile, the Police and Revenue departments initiated counter-measures to pacify the tribals. The land survey, which almost came to a standstill in certain pockets, was resumed only on Friday and Saturday. A "Praja Darbar" was organized by officials at Maddikonda village of Aswaraopet mandal. The revenue officials read out the land records thus making public, each survey number. They also assured the tribal volunteers to furnish copies of the land records so as involve them in the identification of land for distribution.

The mandal Revenue Officer, Mr. Kumaraswamy, assured the tribals that the administration would no tspare3 any farmer found to be enjoying Government land illegally. Such cases would be referred to the legal cell constituted by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency for a final settlement by the court. The tribal leaders, Mr. Punem Ramesh and Mr. Bojji, who took part in the meeting, wanted the non-tribal farmers who have purchased lands in the scheduled area villages with the permission of the District Collector before 1970 to prove their legitimate rights over the land by producing the relevant documents in the revenue office.

TUMMALA UNDER FIRE ON TRIBAL LAND ISSUE

From Our Bureau

Deccan chronicle November 10, 1998

KHAMMAM, Nov. 9:

CPI -M district secretary P. Somaiah here on Monday criticized Minister for Major and Medium Irrigation Minister Tummala Nagswara Rao for supporting non-tribal landlords in the land dispute between tribals and non-Tribals in Dammapet and Aswaraopet mandals.

Speaking to reporters here Somaiah said the State government failed to seize the land from non-Tribals by invoking provisions in Act 1/70. He also alleged that the government was trying to paint the issue as clashes between two groups of Tribals when the facts were otherwise.

In fact, it was the non-tribal landlords who attacked the Tribals in a planned manner and injured 200 of them.

The Tribals, who were injured in the attack should be paid compensation, he added. Demanding that cases be booked against those who attacked the Tribals, Somaiah sought speeding up of the survey of lands in the Agency areas in the district.

District party executive members S. Narasimha Rao and Vanam Narasimha Rao were also present.

Congress activists besieged the collectorate at Mahabubnagar on Monda in protest against price spiral and the 'bias' shown by the TD government in providing compensation to flood-hit farmers. For4mer ministers J. Chttarajan, Puli Verranna, former MLA Chinna Reddy and Reddy accused TD MLAs of providing compensation to only TD supporters.

Earlier, a public meeting was addressed by former minister Sankar Rao, former MLAs v Mohan Goud, Bishwa Kistaiah, D. Kiran Kumar and others.