Telangana: Identity conflicts simmer in the state's underbelly

The trouble between the Adivasi Gonds and Lambadas is a manifestation of how tribal politics is acquiring new shapes through the creation of Telangana

On December 16, the Telangana government hurriedly shifted the district police superintendents and district collectors of Adilabad, Kumram Bheem Asifabad, and Nirmal, all part of the erstwhile Adilabad district, a day after violence erupted in the Utnoor Agency Area between the Adivasi Gonds and Lambadas (Banjara). The government did not expect things would go this far.

The violence involved attacks on the houses and properties of the Lambadas, spread within hours across dozens of villages besides the Utnoor town, and reportedly started after a statue of Gond hero Kumram Bheem was desecrated with a garland of chappals in a remote tribal