Tribals decry arrest of villagers

Tribal people of the Andhra-Odisha Border area took out a rally, demanding release of the tribals in the police custody, at a remote village of Injari panchayat of Pedabayalu mandal on Tuesday.

They said it was wrong on the part of the police to brand them as Maoists and arrest them. They demanded that the police raids on their villages and arrest of residents be stopped. They sought unconditional release of Sinderi, Appa Rao, Korra, Malleswara Rao, Gaduturu and Ramachandra Padal, who are in police custody.

Matha, a relative of Appa Rao of Salebulu, said her cousin Appa Rao, who was employed at the DR Depot, had gone to the depot. He was returning home, when he was picked up by the policemen in plain clothes. She alleged that the police were picking up tribals and branding them as Maoists. “The police are not showing any evidence of bombs or weapons seized from the tribals. The police should own responsibility, if anything happened to Appa Rao, during the pandemic,” she said.

Malleswara Rao's mother Korra Seethamma wondered what was the need for the police to pick up the tribals, away from their village, without the knowledge of their family members. She said that Malleswara Rao’s wife was pregnant and wondered how she had to manage the home. She sought an answer as to who had authorised the police to arrest the tribal people.