In a shocking incident, two Dalits were thrashed severely by a group of men in Rajahmundry in East Godavari district on Monday.
The group accused the Dalits of stealing a cow and killing it for meat. This incident took place a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Medak district for the launch of Mission Bhagiratha. Modi had warned people against such attacks on Dalits, at the public meeting. The group of men were not ‘gau rakshaks’, but accused the Dalits of stealing their cows.
Police said “the incident took place in Amalapuram. A man name Buragayala Aravind called up the two Dalits, Mokati Eilsha and his younger brother Venkateswara Rao, on Monday. He asked them to take away his cow as it died due to electric shock. The Dalits then went to Amalapuram and brought the dead cow to a cemetery at Sudhapalem in an auto rickshaw. They started cutting the cow so that they can sell the meat.”
“The three men, Varrinki Narayana Rao, Rajulapudi Gangadhara Rao and Bhupati Raju Venkatapati Raju who were searching for their missing cows, noticed that both the brothers were cutting the cow. They attacked the Dalits on suspecting them of stealing and killing cow.”
“The group use to raise one cow each at Samanasa village in Amalapuram rural mandal. These cows used to feed on the crops of farmer Veeri Srinivasa Rao. On Monday, the farmer got angry over this and he tied the cows in the fields. As the cows failed to return home by evening, the three men started a search at night. As they moved around, they noticed the Dalits.”
“Presuming that one of their missing cows was killed and was being cut, the three along with some others tied up Mokati Elisha to a pole and beat him up severely. They also beat up his younger brother Venkateswara Rao and the auto rickshaw driver. The three men later lodged a complaint at the local police station, saying that their cows went missing and one of them was killed and cut for meat.”
Elisha, his brother and the auto driver have been detained by the police. As the news spread about the incident, MRPS activists arrived at the police station. They pressurized the police to shift them to the area hospital at Amalapuram for treatment.
Later, Mokati Elisha filed a complaint with the police, saying Yerugandi Abbulu and others attacked him and his brother. The accused are absconding. Amalapuram DSP Ankaiah, handling the case, said, "We have booked a case based on the complaint from Mokati Elisha."
Also Read: Dalit Group Thrashed by Six Men For Skinning Cow
BY M. DIVYA SRI
