Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam   

Police wing to probe atrocities on SCs, STs

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, DEC. 19. The Struggle Committee for Implementation of SC and ST Atrocities (prevention) Act on Sunday declared that the Government decided to set up a special wing of police to probe allegations of atrocities against SCs and STs under the supervision of the SC and ST Commission.

After meeting the Minister for Social Welfare, Redya Naik, and the SC and ST Commission Chairman, Justice K. Punnaiah, in Hyderabad last week, the committee chairman, P. Penta Rao, and the convener, Maturi Chinna Rao, told reporters that even the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, gave his consent to the proposal.

Owing to their discriminatory attitude, the police were not taking action as per the Act despite registering cases on atrocities perpetrated on SCs and STs, they said. During their meeting with Mr. Naik, Justice Punnaih and the Pradesh Congress Committee president, K. Keshava Rao, they were given the impression that a GO would be issued on formation of a special wing of police by the first week of February, 2005.

No action

Mr. Penta Rao said that Justice Punnaih had promised to undertake a tour of districts to collect information on the status of cases booked against dalits.

In Visakhapatnam district itself, several cases were either closed for want of evidence or being kept in the cold storage by the police due to their scant respect to the Act, he alleged.

Citing a few instances, he said there was an attempt to deny promotion to the director (physical) of V.S. Krishna Government Junior College, Sandhya Rani, by the Principal, Bangarupapa, after the police `closed' the case booked against the latter under the SC and ST Atrocities (prevention) Act.

In another case, D. Sivalakshmi, a dalit activist, was abused and assaulted in her house in the Pendurthy police station limits on October 16 by a landlord when her husband was away. Though a case was booked under the Act against the accused, the police had not initiated any action so far, he regretted.

Firearms

He said during their visit to Hyderabad, they submitted representations to the Government to provide firearms to SCs and STs to protect themselves from attacks.

Stating that as per the Clause IV of the Act, there was a provision to not only provide firearms but also train dalits particularly women by the Government on how to handle weapons. "Such a move would go a long way in putting an end to attacks on SCs and STs,'' he remarked.

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