A Circle Inspector of police was attacked by a mob in Khammam reserve forest area when a police team went to control a law and order situation near Chandrapalem village in Sattupalem mandal in Telangana on Sunday.
A group of local villagers went and claimed a saline patch for cultivation when another group of non-locals made a counter-claim.
As tensions rose and clashes broke out between the two groups, a team of 10-15 policemen as well as forest officers arrived on the scene.
Why the specific officer was targeted is not yet clear.
A video showed a group of them dragging down the recently-appointed cop, dressed in civilian clothes, from his bike and pummeling him with fists as another cop tries to pull him away.
The clip further shows the tribals going after him even as uniformed cops try and save the Circle Inspector.
A senior officer, who requested not to be quoted, said they are now investigating to find out why only the circle inspector was targeted and whether it was a conspiracy.
In November 2022, a forest officer Chalamala Srinivas Rao was attacked and killed using sticks and knives by tribals. The then Chief Minister KCR had announced Rs 50 lakh compensation for the family of the victims.
Two men involved in the murder of forest range officer Chalamala Srinivasa Rao were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Principal District and Sessions Judge Patil Vasanth in August 2023.
The incident had taken place on the outskirts of Errabolu Guthikonda village of Chandrugonda mandal on November 22, 2022.
The court found the accused, Madakam Tula and Podium Nanga, belonging to the Goti Koya community, guilty under Sections 302 (murder), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) of the Indian Penal Code. The court imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 on the offenders.
