2 tribal men get life for 2022 Telangana forest officer lynching | India News

HYDERABAD: A local court in Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana sentenced on Thursday two Guttikoya tribal men to life imprisonment for the lynching of 42-year-old forest range officer Chalmala Srinivasa Rao nine months ago when he was protecting young trees of an afforestation drive from being damaged by cattle grazers.

Principal district and sessions judge Kothagudem, Patil Vasanth delivered the verdict, finding the two accused — Madakam Thula, 43, and 37-year-old Podium Nanga — guilty of killing Rao in November last year. The court sentenced them to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on each of them. The attack on Rao took place on the outskirts of Yerrabodu village.
Rao and forest section officer Tejavath Rama Rao were responding to a complaint from forest watcher Bhukya Ramulu about locals allowing their cattle to graze near the plantation. Thula and Nanga attacked Rao with an axe and sickle. He was rushed to a private hospital in Khammam but could not be saved.

The prosecution presented a strong case with the testimony of 20 eyewitnesses, including villagers Ramarao and Ramulu, as well as forest department workers. Additionally, crucial evidence came from the forensic analysis of the forest officer’s phone, public prosecutor P Radha Krishnamurthy said.