RAJANNA-SIRCILLA : One of the victims of the police torture against Dalit youths in Nerella, Battula Eswar, on Friday tried to set himself ablaze at the district collectorate. Alleging that the police department was forcing him to withdraw the case against the cops involved in the torture of Dalit youths from the village, Eswar poured kerosene over him at the collectorate and tried to set himself on fire.
Fortunately, the collectorate staff and beat police constable who were present there sensed that something was wrong and prevented the youth from committing suicide. Later, coming out of the collectorate, the visibly disturbed youth tore his shirt and urged people to kill him. He alleged that torture at the hands of police personnel had debilitated him and is not permitting him to hold on to a job. He also accused the SP of calling him for a compromise on Thursday.