In a significant operation, forest officials have apprehended 26 people from Kumram Bheem Asifabad district on Saturday night. These individuals are accused of illegally occupying forest land and felling trees within the critical Kawal Tiger Reserve. Following their arrest, they were promptly presented before a local court and subsequently remanded to 14-day judicial custody.
According to Forest Divisional Officer (FDO) M. Ram Mohan, the detainees had attempted to unlawfully claim forest land in the Palaghori area (Compt. No. 249), specifically within the Sonapur Thanda beat, under the Kawal village limits in Mancherial district’s Jannaram mandal. This particular Kawal forest block holds historical significance, having been declared a Reserved Forest (RF) in 1350 Fasli (1940 AD), then designated as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1999, and finally upgraded to a vital Tiger Reserve in 2011.
The FDO further clarified that the encroachers have persistently tried to claim this forest land over several years, alleging ancestral ties to the property. However, Ram Mohan stated these claims are unfounded. Revenue records clearly identify the land, spanning 9,631.33 acres, as ‘Mahasura’ (Forest Land) and unequivocally part of the Kawal Reserved Forest Block.
Reports indicate that the accused began felling trees and constructing makeshift huts in the Palaghori area as early as 2023. Despite previous evictions and the removal of their structures in September 2024, they reportedly returned in August 2025. Forest and revenue authorities, alongside community leaders, engaged in extensive counseling to persuade them to leave, but these efforts proved unsuccessful.
In addition to the encroachment, the individuals are also alleged to have assaulted forest staff during the execution of their duties, leading to formal complaints being filed with the police for attacking public servants.