HYDERABAD: Gujarat’s Vadgam MLA Jignesh Mevani on Wednesday appealed to the Telangana government to release Manda Krishna Madiga and termed his arrest as an attempt to curtail the fundamental rights of a community.
“I appeal to the State government and police to release him immediately. He is struggling for the fundamental rights of his community. Individual liberty should not be curtailed this way,” said the young leader who has, in a short span of time, become the face of Dalit resistance across the country.
Marking the second death anniversary of Rohit Vemula, Mevani called the UoH scholar’s death an “institutional murder.” Had Vemula been alive, he would probably have joined me in meeting Madiga, Mevani said.
Addressing the media after meeting Madiga at Chanchalguda Central Prison, the MLA said that he, along with other like-minded people, was to launch a nationwide alliance for the upliftment of Dalits.
“In the coming days, I, along with Krishna Madiga and other progressive like-minded groups, want to launch a broad alliance for the upliftment of Dalits.” Claiming that land rights was a major issue, Mevani said that 70 out of 100 Dalits are landless and demanded five acres of land to be given to every Dalit.
Madiga, founder of the Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi, was arrested recently during a protest for Scheduled Caste categorisation.