Southern States
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Andhra Pradesh
Excise swoop on tribal hamlet triggers protest
By Our Staff Reporter
ELURU, JAN. 12. A large posse of excise police on Saturday raided Sunnapurallapalli tribal hamlet in T Narasapur mandal and reportedly whisked away 15 tribals in connection with a case of alleged attack on the excise personnel.
According to information reaching here, among those picked up by the excise police were activists of Agency Girijana Sangham and two non-tribals. It may be recalled that a group of tribals held captive a team of about 20 excise personnel, including a couple of Assistant Excise Superintendents, for well over four hours on January 7 when the latter went to the village following a tip-off that some tribals were involved in brewing arrack in violation of the Andhra Pradesh Prohibition and Excise Act.
The 60-member excise party reached the village in 15 jeeps in the early hours today and apprehended the suspects involved in the case. Cases were registered against tribals under Section 34-A of the Andhra Pradesh Excise and Prohibition Act, Section 353 and clause-2 of 506 of IPC (criminal intimidation and preventing public servants from discharge of duties).
Meanwhile, attempts of some rights groups for the release of tribals by getting bail from the court at T Narasapur did not work as courts remained closed for four days from Saturday. Meanwhile, the excise police, in another raid conducted on the nearby Chuttugudem tribal hamlet on that fateful day, arrested a couple of tribals on similar charges.
The action of the excise police spurred rights groups and Girijan Sangham activists into an agitation in the T. Narasapur area. The Agency Girijan Sangham and Human Rights Forum (HRF) organised a rally at T. Narasapur on Friday in protest against the excise police ``unleashing a reign of terror in tribal area'' allegedly at the behest of liquor syndicates. The HRF district convener, A Rajendraprasad, alleged that the excise police took assistance from members of private army of liquor traders, known as `raid batches' today.
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