Hyderabad: BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao on Friday condemned the alleged assault on tribal women by forest officials in Irevandi village, Burgampadu mandal, Bhadrachalam-Kothagudem district.
Calling the incident brutal and inhuman, he accused the Congress-led state government of crushing tribal dignity. He said women were reportedly stripped and beaten by forest staff while protesting for their Podu lands.
KTR criticised the government’s handling of the land dispute, saying the deployment of bulldozers and armed personnel amounted to state-sponsored violence. He said it was not law enforcement but outright barbarism.
He questioned how uniformed officers could attack unarmed women defending their land. Calling the assault a violation of democratic values, he demanded a public apology from Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge.
He alleged that the government had created a climate of fear and called Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s administration a “regime of bulldozers.” He said forest police actions reflected the mindset of the leadership and cited past remarks by the Chief Minister in the Assembly to reinforce the claim.
KTR demanded immediate suspension of the officials involved, registration of criminal cases under the SC/ST Atrocities Act, and a public apology from the Chief Minister. He also called for accountability at the top, saying silence from the Congress leadership would amount to complicity.
He said the BRS would raise the issue in the Assembly, in national media, and in court. KTR assured the affected tribal communities of the party’s full support.
When a Chief Minister proudly announces on the floor of the assembly that he will strip & parade women who question….do you think his administration will be far behind?
What happened today in the tribal villages of Burgampadu mandal of Badradri Kothagudem district is a… pic.twitter.com/994FU2qzFT
— KTR (@KTRBRS) June 21, 2025
