The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Rights bodies blame police inaction for Dalit's murder

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Dec 25, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Rights bodies blame police inaction for Dalit's murder

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, DEC. 24. A fact-finding committee of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee and Organisation for People's Democratic Rights has alleged that the murder of the Dalit leader, Y. Boru Gangulappa, on December 14 in Amadaguru mandal was a result of attempts by the upper castes to create hurdles for the increasing awareness among Dalits.

An eight-member panel led by the State general secretary of the APCLC, S. Seshaiah, the district president, M. Purushottam, vice president, K. Nageswarachary, secretary, K. Vijaykumar, the State vice president of OPDR, M. Srinivasulu, the district members, Nallappa, Yesanna and Suresh, visited Amadaguru, O.D.Cheruvu mandal headquarters and Dudaraguttapalli village on December 21 to ascertain facts about Gangulappa's murder.

Leadership qualities

Condemning the murder, the committee alleged that attacks and atrocities on Dalits were increasing due to the heightened awareness among them, their opposition to the upper caste leaders and the emergence of an alternative leadership.

The accused person in Gangulappa's murder, M. Siva Reddy, and his followers of Lokojupalli and Dudaraguttapalli, had been allegedly resorting to atrocities, swindling funds meant for development works and exploiting minor disputes to further their interests, the committee explained.

Gangulappa emerged as a strong leader by opposing Siva Reddy's supremacy and mobilised Dalits in the surrounding villages. Unable to digest Gangulappa's rise, Siva Reddy of Maddena Gudipalli and his associates were allegedly planning to eliminate Gangulappa for long and were successful with the Congress coming to power.

Police blamed

As a leader of the MRPS and Dandora, Gangulappa, with the aid of an NGO and friends helped Dalits get pattadar passbooks, land and house sites in Nallamada constituency recently. His influence among the Backward Classes too had increased.

Gangulappa repeatedly requested the local police and other officers, the District Collector and SP about threat to his life from Siva Reddy but there was no response, the report alleged and said that Gangulappa was sent out forcibly from the SP's office when he went to explain the threat to his life for the third time. Within 10 days of this incident, Gangulappa was murdered.

The APCLC-OPDR leaders demanded the immediate arrest of Siva Reddy and his associates, ex gratia and employment to Gangulappa's wife and efforts by the administration to instil confidence among Dalits in Dudaraguttapalli, Lokojupalli and surrounding villages.

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