Dalit lawyer allegedly assaulted by YSRCP workers in Andhra Pradesh's Kurnool

The victim said that the local YSRCP workers assaulted him at the behest of MLA Katasani Ramireddy for highlighting land encroachments in his village.

Kurnool: A Dalit lawyer was allegedly assaulted by members of YSRCP in a village in Jurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, the victim said. He said that instead of acting against the accused, the police had booked him in fake cases. The incident took place on Sunday at Kolimigundla of Nandyala district. The victim has been identified as Dalit lawyer Manda Vijaykumar, a local from Kolimigundla of Nandyala district.

Vijaykumar said that on Sunday, the the henchmen of Banaganapally MLA Katasani Ramireddy assaulted him near his house at the behest of the MLA for highlighting illegal land mutations in the area. Vijaykumar said that the accused tried to attack him twice in the past. The accused not only attacked him but also took him to the police station by taking him by the collar and dragging him through the street, hitting him with sandals, kicking him with feet, and abusing him indecently, he alleged.

He said that his mother who pleaded the accused for his safety was also beaten up. Vijaykumar said that the police instead of acting against the accused, booked him under fake cases under sections 354A (harassing a woman), 323 (touching a woman), 506, 509 (intimidation) among others. Vijaykumar said that the accused have been harassing him with threat calls ever since he began to highlight land encroachment in the area.

Vijaykumar from Kolimigund stays at his mother-in-law's place in Anantapur and pleads cases related to Banaganapally, Nandyala, and Kurnool courts. He is also the official representative of the Telugu youth of Banaganapalli constituency. He said he is fighting against land encroachment in his native village Kolimigundla.

Vijaykumar said many complaints were made about the encroachments. Several applications were made to the Tehsildar's office under the Right to Information Act for details related to land encroachment. He said that in this background, some people threatened him over the phone on July 27. After he complained to the District Judge of Anantapur, Anantapur police registered a case on August 3 as per the orders of the court.

While Nageswara Rao is the main accused in that case, Suresh, Sriramulu, Srinivasulu, Ramadevi, and Kalavathi were also named in the case. Nageswara Rao is a YSRCP leader in Kolimigundla. Vijaykumar claimed that the attackers were followers of Banaganapally MLA Katasani Ramireddy and attacked him and his mother at the behest of MLA.

He said that they tried to attack him twice in the past.