Visakhapatnam: The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in Visakhapatnam has ordered an official inquiry into humans pulling the ploughs in their fields after their bullocks had been killed by a Bengal tiger in early 2023.The probe got triggered after Deccan Chronicle published a report on June 23, 2025, titled “Tribal Farmers Plough Fields in Place of Bulls.” In a powerful display of protest, tribal farmers from Buriga and Chinnakonila hamlets in Rompilli panchayat of Ananthagiri mandal in ASR district have started ploughing their fields manually.The farmers’ plight began in early 2023 when the tiger had killed their four bullocks and three cows, livestock essential for their agricultural livelihood. Although forest officials assured the farmers that their compensation file (No. 492/2022/SA) had been submitted to the Paderu Divisional Forest Officer, no financial relief has been provided, though over two years have elapsed.With the cost of a new pair of bullocks now soaring to nearly Rs 1 lakh, the affected families, mostly relying on subsistence farming, are left with no choice but to till their land by putting themselves to yoke.“We have lost hope,” one farmer lamented before Deccan Chronicle, underlining that they had repeatedly appealed to the Rompilli beat officer and the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA). But they only received vague promises of financial assistance.After DC covered the news, Visakhapatnam DLSA member secretary B.S.V. Himabindu has formally instructed chairman of the Mandal Legal Services Committee (MLSC) in Araku to verify the incident and ensure that legal aid is extended to the affected farmers.The DLSA’s directive wants a detailed report by July 4 for submission to the Andhra Pradesh State Legal Services Authority in Amaravati.
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