YSRC leader, driver thrash Dalit petrol pump attendant; arrested

Vijayawada: A YSR Congress leader and his driver were arrested by the police on charges of assault on a Dalit worker at a petrol bunk in Vulavapalla village of Dagadarthi mandal, Nellore district, on Wednesday.

“Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) member Mahesh Naidu and his driver Madaka Masthan were produced before the magistrate and sent to judicial remand,” police said.

The incident took place around 9pm on Dec 31. Two men, Darsa Kumar and Bhim Kumar, arrived at the petrol bunk and asked pump boy G Teja to fill up some diesel in a can. The two men asked the boy for the PhonePe number to pay the amount, but the boy said the bunk has no PhonePe number, and asked them to instead scan the QR code and pay the amount.

The two men called up YSRC leader Mahesh Naidu and informed him about this. Mahesh Naidu asked them to give the phone to the boy and then demanded that he give his name.

The boy gave his name. The YSRC leader told him that he knew him and his father and the village they lived in. He asked the boy to give fuel to the two and that he would speak to the petrol bunk owner. The boy replied he did not know who Mahesh Naidu was, and again refused to deliver the fuel.

The YSR Congress leader rushed the petrol bunk in his car and slapped the boy and allegedly abused him by his caste name. His driver also beat up the boy with a stick.

Based on a complaint from the victim, police booked a case on Jan 1 under sections 323 and 324 read with 34 of IPC and under provisions of the SC and ST Act.

Nellore SP Ch. Vijaya Rao said, “We have booked a case, arrested two men involved in the assault and an investigation is on.” Meanwhile, the video clipping of the assault went viral on social media. Telugu Desan general secretary Nara Lokesh said in a tweet that YSR Congress leaders’ attacks on Dalits were continuing in the state.