No Lambada was involved in the December 25 attack on Kolam adivasi Sidam Bheem Rao of Kolamguda in Jannaram mandal in Mancherial district according to Ramagundam Commissioner of Police Vikram Jeet Duggal and Mancherial Collector R.V. Karnan. It turned out that the attack which saw adivasis damaging some property of Lambadas in Kothapeta assuming them to be the culprits the following day was done by a couple of timber smugglers.
Mr. Duggal and Mr. Karnan produced the actual offenders at a press conference at Jannaram on Thursday to dispel any misgivings that anyone concerned may have harboured. The accused, Merugu Lacchanna alias Lachana Goud and Yeluka Srinivas, both known timber smugglers, confessed at having beaten up the victim in the dead of the night as he had tipped off Forest Department about their smuggling activity. The authorities also ensured presence of adivasi representatives belonging to Tudum Debba organisation to remove any doubts in their minds about the identity of the attackers.
The Commissioner of Police said Bheem Rao complained to the Forest officials which helped the latter in arresting the timber smuggler duo. They however, managed to escape and on a tip off by Sathaiah Goud, a watcher at Jannaram, they beat up Bheem Rao.
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Police did detain some Lambadas following initial reports of their involvement in the incident but did not book cases against them. “Please inform the police in case you come across violence. Do not take law into your hands," they ueged, even as they recommended for Sathaiah's suspension for being the root cause of the trouble.