A bear mauled to death a 60-year-old man belonging to the primitive Chenchu primitive tribal group at Chinabodu, 30 km from Yerragondapalem, in Prakasam district on Saturday night.
B.Naganna, from Dadamala tribal hamlet, died while being taken to the government hospital in Kurnool in the wee hours of Sunday at Dornala, said Palutla Medical Officers Krishna Naik and V.Srinu Naik, who gave him first-aid before referring him to Kurnool. Yerragondapalem senior public health officer M.Srinivasa Rao said the tribal was attacked when he ventured into the Nallamalla forest to collect herbs.
The bereaved family would get Rs. 1 lakh from the Forest Department and an equal amount under the Apathbandhu scheme, besides Rs. 75,000 under Indira Jeevitha Bima Pathakam, said K. V. Ramakrishna, Special Officer in-charge of NREGS implementation in tribal areas.
Correction
>>Stephen Corry, Director, Survival International, U.K., wrote to this office in connection with the following reports – they appeared in Andhra and Karnataka regional pages - saying they had some offending references in their texts while describing people belonging to some tribal communities.
The reports were: 1. Bear mauls Chenchu tribal to death in Chinabodu (Oct. 21, 2013); 2. Tribal festival held in Bhadrachalam (Oct. 19, 2013); 3. Tribal habitations to get safe drinking water (Oct. 16, 2013); 4. ITDA initiative to help Konda Reddis (Oct. 16, 2013); 5. Satyagraha by Girijans (Oct. 3, 2013); and 6. MLA to seek special package for Koragas (Oct. 16, 2013).
Mr. Stephen Corry urged The Hindu to use the term 'particularly vulnerable tribal groups' while referring to those people.
In response to the reader’s letter, Hyderabad Resident Editor Nagesh Kumar said: "The reader is right in his observation. The Government of India renamed the primitive tribal groups as 'particularly vulnerable tribal groups' in 2006. I will advise all reporters not to use the word `primitive' while referring to tribals."
The Office of the Readers’ Editor recommends exercise of caution by the Reporting and the Editorial desks in this regard.
