Two police officers have reportedly been suspended for failing to protect a female forest ranger who was attacked by an angry mob of men armed with sticks and rods.

Chole Anitha was hit in the head by the group who were protesting an afforestation drive in the village of Kaghaznagar, in India's southern state of Telangana.

Led by a member of the state’s ruling party, a group of about 30 were filmed as they surrounded the forestry department’s vehicles and personnel.

As they set upong the vehicles, Ms Anitha stood on one of them to try and placate them. But they set upon her instead.

Eventually police stepped in, but not until after she had been repeatedly hit. Two officers were suspended for failing to protect her during the attack, the BBC reported.

Indian city Chennai running out of water Show all 12 1 /12 Indian city Chennai running out of water Indian city Chennai running out of water Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India before the drought and in its current state meaning millions of people are turning to water tank trucks as house and hotel taps have run dry Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 Indian workers collect water from the Puzhal reservoir AFP/Getty Images Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2018 This June 15, 2018, Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India before the drought. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 The drought is the worst in living memory for the bustling capital of Tamil Nadu state Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water Indian residents get water from a community well in Chennai after reservoirs for the city ran dry AFP/Getty Images Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2018 This June 15, 2018, satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir, Chennai, India before draught. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Satellite image Â©2019 Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water April 2019 This April 6, 2019, satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India during drought. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Satellite image Â©2019 Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 This June 15, 2019, Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India during the drought. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 This June 15, 2019, Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows Puzhal reservoir in Chennai, India during the drought. Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater. (Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies via AP) Copernicus Sentinel-2 Satellite Image/Maxar Technologies/AP Indian city Chennai running out of water June 2019 People sit around a tower for measuring water depth in the dried-up Puzhal reservoir Reuters Indian city Chennai running out of water Indians stand in queues to fill vessels filled with drinking water from a water tanker in Chennai AP Indian city Chennai running out of water A man walks through the dried-up Puzhal reservoir, Reuters

Officials said Ms Anitha was badly injured and was transferred to a hospital. She was later discharged.

Among the 14 arrested was Koneru Krishna Rao, a local official of the Tenangala Rashtra Samithi (TRS) regionalist party and the brother of TRS state representative Koneru Konappa.

Mr Rao told local media that the attack was “accidental”.

“The forest department is terrorising Adivasi farmers and confiscating their land forcefully,” he told the Asian News International news agency. “I tried to pacify department authorities but in vain.”

The forestry department had been authorised to proceed with the afforestation drive that will see saplings planted on some 20 hectares of land.

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Figures from across India's political spectrum condemned and criticised the incident.

Kalvakuntla Taraka Rama Rao, a high-ranking TRS politician, tweeted: “I strongly condemn the atrocious behaviour of Koneru Krishna who attacked a forest officer who was doing her job. He has been arrested & a case booked already; no one is above law of the land.”