Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Monday demanded resignation of IT Minister K. Tarakarama Rao for the alleged third degree torture by the police on Dalits and other local residents of Nerella village of Rajanna-Sircilla district.
Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday, Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Congress party would organise protest across Telangana State to condemn the ‘police brutality’ against Dalits who tried to hold protest against sand mafia and illegal movement of vehicles in their villages.
He said Congress party would hold protest at all districts (erstwhile 10 districts) Headquarters on July 26 and submit a memorandum to District Collectors against the rising atrocities on Dalits and other sections. He said that the Congress party would organise ‘Chalo Sircilla’ on July 31.
The decision to hold protest was taken in the TPCC Executive meeting held at Gandhi Bhavan on Monday. The meeting was attended by CLP leader K. Jana Reddy, TPCC Working President Bhatti Vikramarka, former PCC president Ponnala Lakshmaiah, MLC Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, former Union Minister Balaram Naik, TPCC Vice-President Ponnam Prabhakar, former minister P. Sabita Indra Reddy and other leaders
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the illegal movement of lorries in Nerella and other villages in Sircilla led to several accidents killing and injuring many people in recent past.
When the villagers held protest against the death of a tribal in a road accident, they were taken into custody by the police, kept in illegal detention for five days and brutally tortured. They were threatened that their women would be booked in prostitution/brothel cases if they reveal anything about torture before anything.
However, he said that the illegal detention and third degree torture got exposed when the local jail authorities noticed injuries on their bodies and refuse to admit them.
The TPCC chief alleged that the local villagers were kept in illegal detention and tortured at the behest of IT Minister KTR as Nerella village falls in Sircilla constituency.
He also alleged that sand mafia was operating in Sircilla under the blessings of KTR and other TRS leaders. He said that Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao should tender an unconditional apology to Dalits and other sections who were subjected to third degree torture by police and asks KTR to resign from his post. (INN)