HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh has notorious track record atrocities on Harijans. For whatever reasons from the past eight years there have been attacks 01 the weaker sections at regular in tervals.
Minor skirmishes apart there ha: been extensive damage to proper) in most of the incidents and Harijans have been terrorized into fleecing the villages.
While three major incidents stand out clearly the others are no less significant in that the victims were always Harijans and the assailant’s upper caste landlords.
Padirikuppam in Chittoor district was the first of such violent incidents related to political partice and elections. Ina post-poll clash four persons were killed when Harijan wada was set ablaze This Congress-I claimed that all four were Harijans but it later transpired that only one Harjit women was Killed in the blaze and the three others were upper cast youth who had probably come t attack the Harijan wada. This was in January 1983
A commission of inquiry held the supporters of the then Telegu Desam MLA Gopal Raju responsible for the violence.
In 1985 seven Harijans wert killed in an attack on their hamlet by upper castes in Karamchedu A judicial inquiry failed to identify the assailants but it was generally believed that relatives of the then chief minister N.TRama Rao were behind the incident.
Karamchedu case took several twists and turns with witnesses being killed mysteriously. This ultimately resulted in extremists belonging to the People’s War Group gaining a foothold in the south coastal belt by championing the cause of the Harijans.
It was only after the PWG stepped in that the landlords started feeling the heat of retaliation from the weaker sections. A landlord listed as the main accused in a private petition Daggubati Chenchuramaiah father of NTR’s son-in-law Dr. D. Venkateswaran Rao now MP was subsequently killed. The PWG was blamed for the murder.
Neerakond a was one more landmark in 1987 when landlords swooped on Harijans celebrating an event killing one person. The killing was attributed to supporters of a TDP MLA Dr.M.S.S.Koteswara Rao who was once minister in the NTR Cabinet.
He had just been sacked from the ministry and his supporters felt that the Harijans towards whom the MLA was not favorably disposed were celebrating his removal. A house committee of the State Legislative Assembly was appointed to go into the incident.
These three are among the major violent incidents but there is a big list Kollipara Bandlapalli guided Pippara Sankaranpadu Porinuro and Vetapalem are some of them All these took place after the Padirikuppam incident.
Now come the staying of at least eight Harijans at Tsundur. The inaction of the police has once again given the Naxalites a foothold in the coastal belt. Posters have come out now demanding action against the assailants and — have gained the upper
Article extracted from this publication >> August 23, 1991
