KARIMNAGAR: As many as eight persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes from Nerella and Laxmipur villages in Rajanna-Sircilla district, on whom police had allegedly used third degree while in custody, are undergoing treatment at Government Civil Hospital in Karimnagar.
The incident came to light on Monday after Congress leaders led by state SC Cell chairman Arepalli Mohan, former ZP Chairperson Aduluri Laxman Kumar, former MP Ponnam Prabhakar and former MLA Suddala Devaiah visited the hospital taking permission from District Jail authorities to console the victims.
The victims showed injuries they received during interrogation in police custody. They urged the leaders to help them come out of jail.
Later, speaking to media, Arepalli Mohan alleged that after TRS came to power, atrocity against Dalits has increased. He demanded Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to order probe into the complaints and take necessary action against the police officers who tortured the Dalits and BCs.
Laxman Kumar found fault with the ruling party MLAs for not coming to console the victims. He demanded the government to register cases against the officers involved in torturing weaker section people. He warned that if the government failed to take action against the erring officials, Dalit organisations would launch statewide agitations.
It is learnt that the police picked up the eight members from their houses claiming that they were involved in setting fire to sand lorries.
Meanwhile, family members of the victims submitted a representation to DGP saying that Rajanna-Sircilla police have booked illegal cases against them, beat them up indiscriminately, picked up from houses and threatened family members not to reveal to anybody.