Andhra Pradesh ranks 5th, Telangana 9th for atrocities against Dalits

Hyderabad: On July 2, 2017, a lorry loaded with sand hit a villager, causing his death. The incident enraged villagers who set fire to at least four sand-carrying trucks in protest against the sand mafia, which is rampant in the area. The police subsequently detained the villagers, mostly belonging to the Dalit and OBC groups, and allegedly exercised brutal force against them. Following the High Court intervention, a criminal case was filed against Siricilla Central Crime Station sub-inspector B. Ravinder for committing atrocities against the Dalits of Nerella. This incident is another example of wilful negligence of public servants when it comes to implementing justice.

K. Ramulu, a member of the National Commission for SCs, told Deccan Chronicle, “In many cases in the state, bail is being granted by the police to people facing charges under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. While cases filed under the Act were non-bailable in nature, people accused in such cases against them under the Act are being granted bail by the police. Also, Telangana is not spending allocated funds under the SC/ST sub-plan. The police also failed to act when the Municipal Commissioner of Yellandu, was attacked by a TRS MLA in Khammam.”

There are complaints filed to the National Commission of SC, by Dalits who were not allowed to enter a temple at a village in Wanaparthy. Around 12 per cent of Telangana’s population comprises of people from SC/ST communities. While Uttar Pradesh in the North records the highest number of atrocities against SCs, and Madhya Pradesh tops the list in cases of atrocities against STs in India, in the south, Telangana has the worst record. NCRB data shows Andhra Pradesh is ranked 5th, Karnataka 6th, Telangana 9th, Tamil Nadu 11th and Kerala 12th when it comes to incidences of crimes against Dalits.