Telangana: Forest Ranger Adbudl Rahman destroys Dwaja Sthambh; Angry Vanavasis Protest at Forest Office

The holy Dhwaja Sthambha belonging to the Vanavasis (Tribals) destroyed by forest ranger Bhaskar Goud alias Abdul Rahman has triggered tension in a village in Telangana.

On 30 March, a day after Sri Ramnavami, the Vanvaasi of Gummadiwali village in Aswaraopet Mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district prepared to place a new Dhwaja Stambh made up of a Neem tree’s trunk in Ganganama temple as per their age-old Vanvasi tradition. The Vanavasis brought the tree trunk from the nearby forest by taking prior permission from forest officials. While they were preparing to erect the Dhwaja Stambha in front of the temple, suddenly forest officials headed by ranger Mr. Adbudl Rahman reached the temple, cut down the holy Dhwaja Sthambha and crushed it into pieces, ignoring the pleas of the locals.

The news of the destruction of Dhwaja Sthambha spread like wildfire in the district. The angry tribals of the local villages gathered in huge numbers and flocked to the divisional forest office, demanding justice and immediate suspension of forest ranger Adbudl Rahman for insulting their sentiments and age-old indigenous traditions. The angry tribals were pacified with the assurance from the local police officers and politicians to arrange a new tree trunk and an apology from Adbudl Rahman.

Locals say that the forest ranger recently converted to Islam from Hinduism and attributed ‘Religious Angle’ to his action.

Article appeared earlier in Nijam Today republished in lieu of content sharing agreement with smart4bharat.com

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