Srikakulam: Two Village Revenue Officers (VROs) were attacked and injured by the sand mafia at Naira village in Srikakulam rural mandal on Tuesday night.

The incident occurred when a team of five revenue officers based on a tip off conducted checks near Naira village. When they stopped a lorry, which was illegally carrying excavated sand from the Nagavali River, the local villagers along with the sand mafia attacked them with sticks. The officials were chased and beaten by them despite the officials pleading with them to let them go. While three of them escaped, two of them were severely beaten by the villagers. The revenue officials allege that this was pre-planned attack and that the Naira villagers were a part of this sand mining and the attack on them.

The injured VROs Chandrasekhar and Vishweshwar Rao were admitted at the government RIMS hospital Srikakulam. The Srikakulam district collector Nivas took a serious note of this incident and said that the attackers would not be spared. He also praised the Revenue officers for working round the clock in line of duty. He also gave instructions that a case should be filed against the attackers without buckling to any kind of political pressure. Collector J Nivas along with Joint collector Chakradhar Babu visited the hospital and enquired about the injured VRO's health.

Despite restrictions illegal mining and transportation of sand goes unabated in the district. The illegal mining continues in several areas of Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Bahuda and Mahendratanaya rivers.

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