Dalit thrashing case: Seven arrested in East Godavari dist, one still on the run

Dalit thrashing case: Seven arrested in East Godavari dist, one still on the run

KAKINADA: A day after some people thrashed three Dalits at Sudapalem village near Amalapuram in East Godavari district, police on Wednesday arrested seven of the eight suspects. CM N Chandrababu Naidu took serious exception to the incident and asked the district collector to initiate stringent action against the accused.

The Dalits were attacked on the mistaken suspicion that they had killed three cows for their skin. District collector H Arun Kumar and SP M Ravi Prakash rushed to the Amalapuram Area Hospital and inquired about the health of the victims. The administration and the police, however, tried to play down the incident and stated that the attack had no communal, caste, or political motives. “It occurred only on the spur of the moment as the cattle owners were angry that their cattled had seemingly been stolen. But when they realised that they were mistaken, the accused fled the spot,” Ravi Prakash said.

He urged the public to maintain restraint and not to believe rumours. Meanwhile, director-general of police N Sambasiva Rao submitted a report to the CM on the incident. He informed that the condition of the victims was stable. Of the eight accused persons who thrashed the cobblers, seven were arrested by the police and they will be produced in court on Thursday. Special teams have been sent to Visakhapatnam to arrest the other accused.

Cases have already been registered against the accused. The chief minister is learnt to have asked the officials to provide better treatment to the victims who are undergoing treatment at the Amalapuram Area Hospital and shift them to the Government General Hospital in Kakinada or a corporate hospital.

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