HYDERABAD: Opposition parties, which view the alleged police atrocities on Dalits of Nerella and Jillela villages in Sircilla Assembly constituency represented by IT minister KT Rama Rao, as a golden opportunity to needle the TRS government, have decided to step up their attack. A round table meeting, attended by leaders of Congress, TDP, BJP, Left and TJAC chairman M Kodandaram here on Thursday, announced a series of protest programmes to be undertaken by them jointly. A dharna will be staged at the Ambedkar statue here on August 15 and a memorandum will be submitted to Governor ESL Narasimhan seeking judicial inquiry into the police torture and illegal sand mining. They are also planning to undertake a padayatra to Nerella. They will meet President Ram Nath Kovind, NHRC and National SC Commission heads on August 21 or 22 to seek their intervention.
The Congress held a round table conference at Somajiguda Press Club in which Kodandaram took part. At the same time, TDP organised a photo exhibition at the same place. At the round table, some of the victims narrated how they were tortured by police for protesting against illegal sand mining in Sircilla. Earlier, addressing the meeting, TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy announced that the entire Opposition would wage a united battle against TRS over police atrocities on Dalits and STs. An all-party delegation will call on DGP Anurag Sharma on Friday to ask him as to why no FIR was registered under SC/ST Atrocities Act. He alleged that KCR’s family was responsible for Sircilla incident. “Who gave the instructions to police not to stop the movement of vehicles belonging to sand mafia? KTR is hand-in-glove with the sand mafia,” he said.
TPCC working president Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said, “We did not achieve the separate state to unleash terror on weaker sections.” TDP TS unit working president A Revanth Reddy alleged that KTR was acting like the don of sand mafia. TDP leader M Narsimhulu demanded that the victims be paid a compensation of ` 10 lakh and given a government job. While Kodandaram described the Nerella incident as a blot on the face of entire humanity.
Action plan
An all-party team to meet DGP Anurag Sharma
Dharna in Hyderabad on Aug 15
To meet President RN Kovind, NHRC and National SC Commission heads on August 21 or 22
To meet governor with plea for judicial probe into police torture and illegal sand mining
Padayatra to Nerella