13th August 2023, Mumbai: In a disturbing incident, a Dalit farmer was allegedly beaten up after being tied to a wooden pool by an upper-caste man at Shetpalli village of Mancherial district’s Kotha mandal.
The Dalit farmer was ‘punished’ as his bulls grazed in the upper-caste man’s paddy field. The incident occurred on Thursday, August 10. However, it came to light on Friday after a disturbing clip of the incident went viral on social media platforms.
Police Report
According to the Kotapally police, the Dalit man identified as Durgam Bapu, was assaulted by Suram Ramireddy.
Bapu alleged that the accused caught his collar and dragged him out of his house. He added that while thrashing him mercilessly, Ramireddy hurled casteist abuse at him.
“Some locals attempted to rescue me but Ramireddy scolded them,” Bapu added.
Outrage among many Dalits
The video of the incident sparked outrage and several Dalit rights organisations staged a protest and demanded stern action against Ramireddy.
The Kotapally police have registered a case against Ramireddy under SC, ST Atrocities Prevention Act and investigations are going on.
Dalit Protection Acts
The 1989 Act also protects Dalits from false lawsuits, sexual exploitation, and interfer- ence with their voting and property rights. Violators of the 1989 Act are subject to fees and imprisonment, while repeat offenders are supposed to serve at least one year for each offense.
By ASC Priya