Lokesh blames govt for rising attacks on Dalits

Amaravati: TDP general secretary Nara Lokesh blamed the Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government for a series of attacks and incidents of tonsuring of people from Dalit and weaker sections in the state.

In a statement on Saturday, Lokesh said the latest incident at Pendurthi where one Srikanth was subjected to torture and was tonsured would have been averted had the YSRCP government taken tough action against the real culprits behind the similar incident at Sitanagaram in East Godavari district.

"There is absolutely no safety and security for the downtrodden sections under this atrocious regime. The government should have given the strongest possible punishment when Vara Prasad was tonsured in East Godavari District. The victim could not get any justice and had to finally write a letter to the President of India. Even now, after so many days, Prasad was waiting for justice," he said.

He alleged that the government played a spectator's role when the police had beaten to death another Dalit youth named Kiran Kumar in Chirala town. Had proper action been taken in such incidents, the spate of atrocities on Dalits would have been stopped at that time itself, he added.

Meanwhile, former minister Nakka Ananda Babu said that the negligence of the state government was visible in each and every atrocity case for the last 14 months. He demanded stringent action on the accused in cases of atrocities on Dalits in the state.