Tirumalayapalem tense after cops attack Dalits

Rajamahendravaram (East Godavari district): Tension prevailed in Tirumalayapalem of Gokavaram mandal on Tuesday as the dispute between two groups regarding the installation of Dr BR Ambedkar’s statue intensified since Saturday. Dalit leaders blamed the police for their indiscriminate attack on Dalits.

Members of the Ambedkar Youth installed the leader’s idol at a government site in the village after midnight on Friday. When another group staged protest demanding removal of the statue, the police intervened and set up a police picket in Tirumalayapalem.

Arguments between both the groups led to tension. Allegations surfaced that the police indiscriminately attacked and beat up a group of people on Sunday night.

North Zone DSP Kadali Venkateswara Rao, CI Umamaheswara Rao and Tahsildar Srinivas spoke to the leaders of both the parties. It was concluded that it is wrong to install the statue without permission. They want to solve the problem peacefully.

However, Dalits expressed anger that Ambedkar’s statue on the premises of MPUP School in the village was vandalised by unknown persons last week and no action was taken so far. They demanded that immediate action should be taken against the culprits. In response to that, the argument about the installation of this statue came to the fore.

On the other hand, police have kept Dalit leaders Harsha Kumar, Marri Babji and others under house arrest in Rajahmundry from Monday midnight.

Dalit Tribal and People’s Associations United Forum of Rajahmundry leader Marri Babji said that two women belonging to Scheduled Castes are undergoing treatment in Rajahmundry Gandhi Hospital. After eliciting details of the incident from the two women, leaders of public associations criticised that around 100 policemen attacked and injured Dalits in the village and detained men by filing illegal cases.

Babji charged the police with resorting to lathi charge without giving any prior warning. Dalit leaders Korukonda Chiranjeevi, Ch Subbarao, K Babji and others expressed solidarity with Tirumalayapalem Dalits.

Meanwhile, the dispute over the installation of Ambedkar statue in Tirumalayapalem got the attention of the State SC Commission. Babji said that a complaint has been submitted to SC Commission Chairman Karumudi Victor Prasad on behalf of Rajahmundry Dalit Tribal Praja Sangham United Forum, stating that Dalits were attacked and illegally arrested. On Wednesday evening, Victor Prasad will visit Tirumalayapalem and the situation will be examined, Babji informed.