In a shocking incident, a Dalit woman was subjected to violence when she objected digging work in Jerripothulaplem in Pendurthy, Visakhapatnam. The women identified as K. Durgamma alleges she was beaten up by construction workers led by the Telugu Desam Party workers.
Durgamma along with her mother Ankamma went to the Pendurthy Police Station to file a complaint. A Police Official reported the incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon. He further explained, a group of Backward Classes (BC) began digging Durgamma’s cultivation land.
The Official explained, “The land was allotted to the BCs under the NTR Housing Scheme of the state government. However, the same land is also being sought by the Dalits families already living there. Tuesday afternoon the family to which this particular piece of land was allotted started digging to lay foundations to construct a home. Durgamma and her mother Ankamma objected to it and stood near the digging and got it stopped. There was a dispute among them and when they restarted digging she tried to prevent it again during which there was a scuffle and she was allegedly stripped and beaten. We have registered a case against the accused workers under SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act. We are investigating if the persons who assaulted have any political connections.”
A Dalit organization held a demonstration today outside the Pendurthy Police Station over the delay in registering the case. Today, the police arrested six people involved in inciting violence. The police also reported Durgamma was admitted to King George Hospital and is in a stable condition.
But Officials have said although the Dalit families claim to have got the land from a Government scheme, they failed to show proper paperwork. As per revenue records the land belongs to the Government and was given to BC families under a Government Housing Scheme.
The Dalit families have taken this issue up to the court. But the BC families started constructing on the land leading to the dispute. The Visakhapatnam District Collector Praveen Kumar has ordered all construction work to stop immediately.
