Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy responsible for attacks on SCs in Chittoor: Chandrababu Naidu

Amaravati: The YSRCP leaders threatening Dalit victims instead doing justice to them in atrocities cases, criticised the TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu in a statement on Saturday. Making Peddireddy Ramachandra Reddy responsible for the alleged atrocities against SCs in Chittoor district, Naidu stated that the former encouraged the attacks.

Naidu expressed concern that even the Police were trying to cover up atrocities cases against Dalits by using threats and inducements against the victims' families.

He demanded the police to disclose the details of call lists and records in the cell phone of Punganur Dalit youth Om Pratap over whose death there were many suspicions. Where was the need for the police to take away the victim's phone when they initially said there was no case and no suspicion on anybody?

The TDP chief strongly objected to the manner in which post mortem was carried out secretly. It was another mistake on the part of the police to snatch away the victim's cell phone from the family members, he added. The call lists were crucial to unravel the mystery behind the death. The police should reveal the call lists which would bring out the facts as to who made threatening calls.

Naidu pointed out that only after the TDP demanded that the post mortem was carried out on the body of Om Pratap and that too in a secretive way. In Choutupalli also, another Dalit's life was taken away. They made the people believe that the Dalit died when a tractor overturned. But the fact was that there were burn injuries on the Dalit's body, Naidu said. Murders more heinous than the KV Palli cross roads triple murder in the past were taking place in Chittoor district these days, he added.

Stating that a series of atrocities were taking place against weaker sections in the past 15 months, Naidu said that the ruling YSRCP leaders were behaving as if they would not be punished for any crime. It was nothing but total betrayal to attack and take away the lives of the same Dalits with whose votes the YSRCP had come to power. The people's organisations and civil society should condemn the ongoing attacks on the downtrodden sections, he called.