Ravela Kishore demands ordinance to amend SC/ST Atrocities Act

Guntur: Former Minister and MLA Ravela Kishore Babu undertaken a nine-hour deeksha at the Collectorate in city on Friday to mount pressure on the Centre to bring an ordinance to amend SC\\ST Atrocities Act to provide protection to Dalits in the backdrop of the Supreme Court guidelines on the Act. The deeksha was started at 10 am and concluded at 7 pm.

Addressing the gathering at deeksha camp, Kishore Babu said the recent Supreme Court guidelines will dilute the Act and added the accused will be arrested after completion of inquiry. Due to delay in investigation, he said the cases will be diluted and victim may not get justice.

He demanded that the Centre bring an ordinance immediately to provide protection to SC/STs. If the government fails to bring the ordinance, crores of SC/STs will come out to register their protest, he added. 

Minister for Civil Supplies Prattipati Pulla Rao visited the camp and expressed his solidarity with Ravela. He said the state government was committed to the welfare of SC/STs.  Guntur Mirchi Yard chairman Mannava Subba Rao was also present.