Nizamabad: The two Dalit youth returned home on Monday, nearly 20 days after a video had surfaced, showing them being harassed by former BJP leader M. Bharath Reddy. Mr K. Lakshman and Mr B. Rajeshwar had gone missing from their homes in Abhangapatnam of Navipet mandal on November 12. The duo was allegedly kidnapped by Bharath Reddy, triggering agitations by Dalits, students and peoples’ organisations.
Mr Lakshman and Mr Rajeshwar were forced to take a tip in a mud pond in Abhangapatnam on September 17, when they questioned Bharath Reddy about his illegal gravel quarry. The video of the incident went viral on November 12. The family members of the victims met Nizamabad MP K. Kavitha on Friday after which police traced the duo. Initially, they said they had not been kidnapped and that they had ‘acted’ in a documentary film and the harassment meted out to them was a part of the story.
On Saturday, the victims told the media that Bharath Reddy had kidnapped and and harassed them. They said they had made up the story of the documentary film under duress, and said they faced a threat from Bharat Reddy, who is absconding.
