Tribal man consumes poison after officials demolish Gothikoya huts in Mulugu

Hyderabad: Forest officials allegedly demolished huts belonging to the Gothikoya tribes in Kotha Veedhi locality of Shanti Nagar of Mulugu district.

Eighteen tribal families have been living in Shanti Nagar for the last 15 to 20 years, after fleeing the violence unleashed by Salwa Judum in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

“We had to rebuild our huts after the heavy monsoons. But the forest officials demolished it and but threw our belongings outside,” a Gothikoya woman told Siasat.com.

The incident resulted in an intense face-off between a tribal man, Suresh, and forest officials. Enraged upon seeing the demolished hits, the young man climbs onto a forest department vehicle but is pushed back almost instantly and manhandled.

Following the assault, a disturbed Suresh consumed poison. He was rushed to a nearby community hospital where he is said to be out of danger.

Although the incident occurred a few days ago, it came to light after a video of an angry Suresh trying to climb the government vehicle emerged on social media.

This is not an isolated incident. Encounters between the Gothikaya tribals and forest departments are frequent, with the department alleging that the tribals have encroached on forest land by cultivating podu land.