Attack on tribals at Chinna Jaggampet by government officials

January 11, 2017January 11, 2017 Editor 0 Comments

P. S. Ajay Kumar and Naveen Ramisetti

High Court status quo order not implemented;
Paddy destroyed in ten acres to benefit local political leader

Chinna Jaggampeta in Natavaram Mandal of Visakhapatnam district is a Konda Dora (Scheduled Tribe) village. It is a small tribal village with 40 households of the Konda dora tribe. Since this village is not in the list of Scheduled Areas (under Schedule V), the villagers have neither special protection under the Constitution nor the services of the ITDA (Paderu).

On Jan 6, 2017, around 11 a.m., Natavaram Sub-inspector, Tehsildar and Narsipatnam Rural Circle Inspector arrived at the village, accompanied by a large number of policemen. They brought labour from a village called Gummedigonda and started harvesting the paddy grown by the tribals. When the tribals tried to stop them, the police arrested 70 tribal men and women and shifted them to the KD-peta police station, 50 km away in Golugonda mandal.

A civil dispute pertaining to 22 acres of land under Survey No.s 31, 32, 18, 15 and 2 is pending between the tribal farmers of Chinna Jaggampeta and a YSR Congress leader from Natavaram mandal. The cases are in the court. The tribals have also filed an appeal in the Joint Collector’s court against Ankamreddy Nookaraju and his family, seeking cancellation of the Pattadar passbooks, issued in violation of the AP Pattadar Passbook Act (ROR). Also pending is the appeal CRLP No. 735/2013 by tribal women in the High Court against the CrPC 146 orders issued by the present RDO of Narsipatnam, Korada Suryarao.

On 21.12.2016, the RDO Korada Suryarao had issued orders against 20 tribal women (petitioners in CRLP 735/2013) and asked the Tehsildar to confiscate the land and the crop. None of the 20 women has been given a notice, nor did they receive any copy of the order.

The writ petition WP 1024/2017, filed by the tribal villagers in the Honourable High Court, was scheduled for hearing on 6.1.2017. However, on the same day, the paddy was forcefully harvested though the paddy crop was not yet ready for harvesting. At 4 p.m. on 6.1.2017, the writ petition WP 1024/2017 was heard and a “status quo” order was issed by Justice Praveen Kumar Reddy. This was conveyed to the Tehsildar by Advocate Chaparala Ravi Kumar at 5 p.m. on the same day by phone.

In spite of this, the Tehsildar continued to have the paddy cut until 1 a.m. and had it moved in tractors. Some of the crop was dumped in between the MEO and MRO office in Natavaram.

Some part was transported to the YSR Congress party leader’s house by tractors in the night. Around midnight, one of the tractors sank into mud and is still lying there. Three acres of harvested paddy crop was left in the fields. Between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. of 07/01/2017, they brought the Adivasis back from the K.D. Peta police station and left them in the village. All the expenses including alcohol, food and transport have been borne by the YSRCP leader.

Tribal women and youth of these villages are at the forefront of this struggle to save their lands. It is important that we all support their fight. Please call/email Joint collector of Vishakapatnam and Chief Commissioner of Land Administration demanding immediate enquiry into this incident.

Our demands

1. The crop lying near the MRO (tehsildar) office should be returned to the tribals.