Hyderabad, Jul 17 Seven years after a group of people, led by the brother of then TRS MLA, attacked a Telangana woman forest official, a court in Adilabad district has convicted him and seven others in the case.
The district court for SC/ST cases sentenced Koneru Krishna Rao, brother of former BRS MLA Koneru Konappa and seven others to six months imprisonment, besides imposing a fine, for the attack in 2019.
According to Public Prosecutor M Ramana Reddy, the chargesheet was filed against 39 people and two of them died during trial.
Of the remaining 37, case was dismissed against 29 as the allegations against them were not proved.
The court convicted eight persons including Koneru Krishna Rao.
Krishna Rao had also served as Zilla Parishad vice chairman.
The visuals of Forest Range Officer C Anitha coming under attack by the mob in 2019 in Kumram Bheem Asifabad district evoked widespread outrage.
On June 30, 2019, Anitha had gone to Sarasala village with some officials to plant saplings as part of the government's 'Haritha Haram' green initiative programme when some people, led by Krishna, attacked them with bamboo poles, claiming that the land belonged to them.
The video footage showed Anitha climbing a tractor to escape and Krishna and other villagers attacking the vehicle. An unidentified man was then seeing hitting the woman official.
Anitha had alleged Krishna first hit her with a bamboo stick, followed by the others in the group.
Forest department officials had said the land belonged to their department and the MLA was also informed about it.
The incident also drew condemnation from oppositon Congress and BJP in 2019 who described it as failure of law and order.
BRS (then TRS) Working president KT Rama Rao had also condemned the attack.
