Andhra Pradesh: Tribal man assaulted, urinated on; six arrested

The victim, Mota Naveen, was attacked and urinated upon by Mannam Ramanjaneyulu and eight others on June 19. Six people were arrested in the case.

Ongole (Andhra Pradesh): Six persons were arrested from Ongole in Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh for allegedly urinating on a tribal man in a clash involving his relationship with a girl, police said on Wednesday. Mota Naveen, the victim, was thrashed and urinated upon by Mannam Ramanjaneyulu and eight more persons on June 19. Two of those eight were juveniles while Ramanjaneyulu is on the run.

"Ramanjaneyulu and Naveen were friends but they had a falling out over the latter's relationship with a girl related to Ramanjaneyulu's friend," Prakasam district superintendent of police Mallika Garg said. After Naveen eloped with the girl, a case under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was filed against him, and he was sent on remand as well, said Garg.

However, Naveen was still continuing his affair with the girl, angering Ramanjaneyulu and his friends, which also strained their friendship to the extent that they were not on talking terms, she added. After some days, Ramanjaneyulu called Naveen, feigning a patch up but after having drinks together, he and his friends attacked Naveen. The accused also urinated on him.

Following the attack, Naveen had filed a police complaint and got admitted in a hospital for treatment but did not pursue the case further or reveal the urination incident. However, when police intensified their probe, Garg said they stumbled upon the videos showing Naveen being urinated upon. Considering the intensity of the crime, she said police have invoked the Prevention of SC/ST Atrocities Act suo motu (on its own) in the case as Naveen belongs to a tribal community.

However, Garg noted that this was not a premeditated caste prejudicial case as all of them were friends while Ramanjaneyulu and Naveen together had committed several serious crimes, including having history-sheets and about 30 cases registered against them. Both of them were also childhood friends. Meanwhile, police are on the hunt for Ramanjaneyulu.