The Telugu Desam Party-led coalition government in Andhra Pradesh, headed by Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, has little concern for Dalits and is not according them the same importance it gives to upper-caste communities, Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi founder-president Manda Krishna Madiga alleged.
Though generally known for his proximity to the TDP and Naidu, Manda Krishna did not hesitate to criticise the coalition government for what he described as a lack of concern towards the Mala and Madiga communities.
Addressing a protest organised outside the Guntur Collectorate by Dalit organisations and Left parties, demanding an impartial investigation into the death of Chikati Gopi, a resident of Ponnekallu village in Guntur district, Manda Krishna demanded that the government order an inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into Gopi’s death.
Alternatively, he sought the constitution of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the circumstances leading to the death.
“It is ridiculous for the Tulluru police to say that Gopi died of fever. We will establish that he was subjected to police torture and that the police were responsible for his death,” Manda Krishna alleged.
The MRPS leader had earlier demanded a probe by a senior IPS officer, alleging that Gopi and two others were taken to a police station for questioning and subjected to torture.
Manda Krishna also compared the government’s response to Gopi’s death with its handling of the Sai Krishna custodial death case.
He referred to Jana Sena chief and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s intervention in the Sai Krishna case and questioned why similar attention had not been given to Gopi, who, he said, was also associated with the Jana Sena.
“Pawan Kalyan, despite being unwell, met the Chief Minister and took the initiative to ensure that an SIT was constituted in the Sai Krishna case. Cases were pending against him, yet he responded to the issue. Why was Gopi, despite being a Jana Sena worker, not visited or supported because he belonged to the Mala community?” the MRPS chief asked.
He warned that Dalit organisations would consider blockading Guntur and the Amaravati capital region if the government failed to respond.
