KARIMNAGAR /RAJANNA-SIRCILLA: The torturing of eight youth belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes from Nerella and Jillella villages in Rajanna-Sircilla district by police while in custody, is snowballing into a major issue with Congress and BJP trying to corner the government.
It may be recalled that the youth were picked up by police on June 4 for their alleged role in torching a truck on June 2. It is alleged that the police used third degree on them causing serious injuries. The issue came to light after the youngsters were brought to the local government hospital for treatment and Congress leaders visited them. Ever since the police arrested the youth, their families have been living in fear. Unable to bear harassment from police, the family members even left their village a fortnight ago. The fear was clearly visible on their faces as they requested government to do justice to their children and take stringent action against the guilty officials.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, parents of Harish claimed that due to third degree torture, their son’s ribs got fractured and Eshwar’s father P Rajaiah complained that his son was oozing blood while passing urine. Hearing about the incident and the way police created fear among the Dalit families, BJP state official spokesperson Bandi Sanjay facilitated the victims’ families to file a petition with the State Human Rights Commission on July 18 in Hyderabad.
Blaming the police for the incident, Sanjay demanded the government to intervene to do justice to the youth. He also asked the government to immediately suspend Rajanna Sircilla SP Vishwajit Kampati and Crime Control Station CI B Ravinder for using third degree, besides ordering a probe into the incident. “Police claim that they are practising friendly policing but when it comes to reality they are brutal and inhuman,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, Congress MLAs Bhatti Vikramarka and T Jeevan Reddy, former minister D Sridhar Babu, former MP Ponnam Prabhakar, TPCC women’s wing president Nerella Sarada and other leaders tried to meet Nerella victims, who are undergoing treatment at Government Civil Hospital in Karimangar for the past few days. As victims are under judicial custody, jail authorities permitted only a few leaders to meet them.