A roundtable attended by members of various Dalit outfits here on Sunday demanded that a judicial probe be ordered into the series of incidents of atrocities against Dalits, which included the gang-rape of a minor girl, tonsuring of a youth at Seethanagaram, and custodial death of another youth at Chirala.
Taking up the cudgels on behalf of the victims, senior Congress leader G.V. Harsha Kumar, who brought together the outfits cutting across party lines for a protracted struggle against the YSRCP government, said the ruling party had lost people’s confidence.
Dig at Jagan
He further accused Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy of not fulfilling a host of promises he had made to the Dalits during his padayatra.
Referring to the tonsuring of a Dalit youth for reportedly objecting to illegal transport of sand by a ruling party leader, he said, “Only a thorough probe by a sitting High Court judge will bring out the truth.”
‘Arrest Chirala SI’
Demanding the immediate arrest of Chirala sub-inspector, who was allegedly responsible for the custodial death of a Dalit youth picked up for not wearing a face mask, he said a senior YSRCP leader from the neighbouring Guntur district was shielding the SI. The police officer should be booked under IPC Section 302, he demanded, and further pressed for payment of compensation of ₹50 lakh to the rape victim from Korukonda.
Alleging that a Dalit magistrate, S. Ramakrishna, of Chittoor was assaulted by the followers of Minister Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy, APCC vice-president Sripathi Prakasam said a Dalit doctor, Sudhakar, was thrashed in public for raising the issue of non-availability of PPE kits for health professionals treating COVID-19 patients.
“It is time Dalits, cutting across party lines, come together to wage a struggle for justice,” Dalit Hakkula Porata Samithi State general secretary Karavadi Subba Rao said.
‘Diversion of funds’
The meeting also adopted resolutions demanding effective implementation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, stopping the alleged diversion of SC/ST Sub-Plan funds, stopping the takeover of land assigned to Dalits, and immediate sanction of loans for SC/ST beneficiaries, TDP district general secretary G.V. Raj Vimal said.
