6 days ago
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The Andhra Pradesh State Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has condemned the alleged harassment of Dalits in Akividu town and demanded the immediate and unconditional release of leaders of the Kula Vivaksha Porata Samithi (KVPS) who were arrested by the police.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao alleged that Dalits in Pedapeta area of Akividu have been facing harassment for the past three days for opposing attempts to construct a temple, reportedly being carried out against public opinion under the initiative of Deputy Speaker Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju.
He strongly criticised the arrest of KVPS leader Andhra Malyadri, who had visited Akividu on Tuesday to inquire into the situation. Along with him, CPI(M) Akividu Area Committee Secretary K. Taviti Naidu, committee members, former vice-MPP Dokala Lakshmi, and youth leaders Dokala Raviteja and Boddipalli Rambabu were also taken into custody.
Calling the arrests “undemocratic,” the CPI(M) leader demanded that all those detained be released immediately without conditions.
He further alleged that ahead of Mr. Malyadri’s visit, police placed several leaders under house arrest early in the morning, including KVPS district secretary K. Kranti Babu, former MLA Digupati Rajagopal, and district president Battula Vijay Kumar. He termed the action as a violation of democratic rights.
With the imposition of Section 144 in Pedapeta, he said that Dalits were being restricted from moving freely, and outsiders were barred from entering the locality. The situation is “alarming” and calls for the withdrawal of cases filed against Dalits, he said. He further demanded a judicial inquiry into the entire incident and urged authorities to immediately stop what he termed as ‘police excesses’ against the Dalit community.
Appealing to democratic forces across caste and religious lines, he called upon people to stand in solidarity with the affected Dalits.
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