Visakhapatnam: National SC Commission member K. Ramulu directed revenue officials to pay Rs 8 lakh compensation to Dalit woman R. Durgamma who was allegedly beaten up and stripped by a group of people over a land dispute at Jerripothulapalem area under Pendurthi mandal in Vizag city.
Mr Ramulu, on Thursday, visited the disputed land at Jerripothulapalem and spoke to the victims. Condemning the attack on the woman, Mr. Ramulu said that the land in survey number 77 at Jerripothulapalem was assigned to 14 Dalit families around four decades back. The government retook it and allocated non-Dalits under NTR Housing scheme.
“How can the government retake a Dalit’s land and assign it to someone else by ignoring the interests of the Dalits,” Mr Ramulu said. Additionally, he has demanded that the government should allocate the 0.7 acres land to Dalits by cancelling the allocation to 22 others immediately.
Coming down heavily on the accused persons, Mr Ramulu asked the police to take necessary action against all the accused and he also directed the officials of SC Corporation to sanction a loan to the victim besides provide employment to her family. Meanwhile, leaders and activists of YSRC, CPM, CPI and Dalit organisations on Thursday took out a rally in protest against the attack on Durgamma and flayed the TD government for failing to stop attacks on Dalit women.
