At a cashew garden in Andhra Pradesh’s Uravakonda town, tribal women with sarees tied to tree branches as makeshift nooses around their necks.
The women allege that the land they cultivate is being taken away forcibly and allotted to a granite mining company.
“We have not taken any money from any granite company. Some people have illegally given away our lands in exchange for money. We don’t have papers of land ownership. The government had allowed us to cultivate this land. But now they are bringing JCBs to flatten the crop,” they said.
“The Mudugula Mandal revenue officer is making false allegations against us and filing cases against us if we obstruct the mining company that is trying to build roads through our garden. We want the joint collector to conduct an inquiry,” the women said.
“If you do away with cashew gardens here, we have no option but to embrace death, because our livelihood depends on them”
“Death is the only option left if you don’t listen to our pleas”
Women were heard saying in the video