The Telangana Congress alleged that the TRS government headed by CM K Chandrashekar Rao had unleashed terror against dalits across the state.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President & Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the TRS government headed by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao had unleashed terror against dalits across the state.
Addressing a press conference through Zoom on Friday, Reddy said that several incidents of atrocities, violence and injustice against dalits had surfaced in Telangana in the last 2-3 days.
Describing the incidents as horrifying, he said that those incidents had sent shockwaves among the people belonging not only to the dalit communities but to the girijan, backward class, minority and other weaker section communities.
Referring to the incident of a suicide by one B Narasimhulu in Gajwel constituency (represented by KCR himself), Reddy said that the dalit farmer was forced to take his own life as the TRS government had taken away 13 guntas of his land to construct a Rythu Vedika building.
He said that the farmer had recorded a selfie before consuming poison explaining the reason that forced him to resort to the extreme step.
Reddy said that Narasimhulu had named the local MRO, VRO and sarpanch, and other TRS leaders, in the selfie.
"KCR had promised to give three acres of land to each poor dalit family. Instead, he took away 13 guntas of land from a poor dalit farmer in his own constituency. KCR, shame on you," Reddy said.
Instead of registering a case against those responsible for the suicide, the TRS leaders were shamelessly trying to justify the death, he added. He demanded that the selfie be treated as a dying declaration and a case booked against the MRO, VRO, sarpanch and other TRS leaders for abetment of suicide.
He vowed that the Congress would not rest until a case was booked against the culprits.
He also ridiculed Harish Rao's offer that the state government would give one acre of land to Narasimhulu's family
"You want to give land and money to the family after first driving a poor dalit farmer to suicide. His life could've been saved if the TRS government had not forced him to part with his 13 guntas of land in the first place," he said.
He also dismissed Rao's allegation that Narasimhulu's land was originally taken away by the previous Congress government for a sub-station. He said that the farmer was in total possession of the land, and that his family had been cultivating it for generations.
Reddy also said that another dalit, K Narasimhulu, had been run over by a lorry belonging to the illegal sand mafia in Thirumalapur village, Rajapur mandal, of Mahabubnagar district. Narasimhulu was brutally killed and run over by a lorry when he confronted the sand mafia operators over exploitation of the village's water stream for sand. However, the local police had registered a case of accidental death so as to protect the mafia backed by TRS leaders, Reddy claimed.
He also pointed out that girijans and dalits in Nerella, Sircilla, were subjected to third-degree torture by the police when they had raised their voices against the illegal sand mafia backed by TRS MP and KCR's nephew Santosh Reddy. He said that no action had been taken against the guilty police officials despite confirmation that they had brutally tortured the local dalits and girijans.
Mentioning other cases, he said that a dalit youth, Revuli Raja, had been brutally murdered in Mallaram village on July 6 allegedly by a local TRS leader and his goons. He added that Congress leaders including him had been arrested when they tried to visit the village to meet Raja's family. Another dalit, Seelam Rangaiah, had died in police lock-up in Ramgiri village of Manthani constituency. And a dalit woman, Teku Lakshmi, was gang-raped and murdered in the forest area of Yellapatar in Lingapur mandal, Kumarambheem Asifabad district, in November last year.
Reddy demanded a high level and fair probe into all the incidents and stern action against the culprits.
The TPCC chief also condemned Welfare Minister Koppula Eshwar describing those incidents as personal issues. He said that people had elected Eshwar with the hope that he would protect the interests of the dalits and other weak communities. However, Reddy said that Eshwar had stooped to trying to hush up incidents of atrocities against the very community he was mandated to protect, to save the image of KCR. He asked the minister to clarify how the suicide in Gajwel and the death in Mahabubnagar could be called personal issues.
Reddy said that incidents of atrocities, murder or humiliation of dalits and girijans were being reported almost every day since the TRS came to power. Blaming KCR for the rise in such atrocities, he said that the former Rao became the CM only due to the support of the SCs and the STs.
"KCR had promised to make a dalit the CM. He also promised three acres of land for each dalit family, double bedroom houses for poor dalits and 12% reservation for STs. Has he fulfilled even one of those promises?" he asked.
The TPCC chief also slammed the Telangana police for inaction in cases of atrocities against SCs and STs. He said that while a majority of officials were performing their duties honestly, a few were acting at the behest of the TRS leaders in an immoral and unethical manner.
Stating that the Congress would fight until the victims got justice, Reddy said that a party delegation would soon meet Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan on the issue. He said that a petition would also be filed with the National Human Rights Commission. He said that the party would explore all legal and democratic means to get justice for dalits, girijans and other oppressed classes.