Several shops, hotels remain shut over bandh call in Telangana’s Asifabad

Hyderabad: Several kiranas, hotels, malls and business establishments remained shut on Saturday, September 21, in the Asifabad district as part of a bandh call against the attempted rape and murder attempt of an Adivasi woman in Jainoor. RTC buses also remained inoperative.

The bandh call was given by the Adivasi Hakkula Porata Samiti, Tudum Debba, and other affiliated district and student unions.

“Today’s bandh was announced as per the call of the state leadership. The bandh was called under the auspices of the tribal communities to protest the attempted rape and murder of an Adivasi woman in Jainoor,” said Tudum Debba district president. Further accusing non-tribals, Muslims and others living in the area of committing rapes against tribal women, he called for solidarity by adhering to the bandh call.

“If there is information that some big leaders are trampling on the 100 Act, we will work hard to strengthen the 1/70 Act in our tribal areas, we are only asking for the rights given by the government, if the law is not implemented, we will go ahead with the slogan of Mawanate Maawa Sarkar (our area our ruling),” he threatened.

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The tribals demand dispossessing outsiders from tribal lands and the implementation of the 1/70 Act and the land transfer regulations which prevent the transfer of lands in the fifth schedule areas from tribals to non-tribals.

“Pickets of police teams have been deployed across Jainoor and everything is under control,” police officials told local media over the implementation of the bandh in the district.

Jainoor has been in a state of unrest since the alleged attempted rape and murder of an Adivasi woman by an auto driver. Shops and businesses of Muslim minorities were vandalised and destroyed allegedly by Adivasis, in the aftermath.