People's Democracy

Five Dalits Hacked to Death

in AP over Land Rights

FIVE persons belonging to the most downtrodden section of our society – dalit agricultural labourers – were brutally killed and another 30 persons injured in a barbaric attack in Lakshimpeta village of Vangara mandal in Srikakulam district on the morning of June 12, 2012. The condition of six more of the injured is critical.

There were statewide protests on June 13 against the barbaric killings. CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and KVPS (Struggle Committee against Caste Discrimination) vice president B V Raghavulu participated in an effigy burning protest in Hyderabad. He put the blame on the state government for this carnage. He said the incident reflected the failure of the state government in addressing the concerns of dalits, particularly about land. KVPS general secretary John Wesley, who visited the scene of the killings, charged the district administration of criminal negligence in preventing the attack.

The murderous attack took place due to a long pending dispute between the dalits and a section of backward community persons over the rights to till a land parcel in the village. The state government had acquired land in the village for Madduvalasa reservoir project over ten years ago. After completing the project, it was found that around 250 acres of land was not submerged under the project and hence remained as government land. Disputes arose when these two groups sought to till the vacant land. Dalits were farming in about 60 acres of land while the other communities were in control of the rest. They wanted to force the dalits out of these 60 acres also.

REMOVAL OF

POLICE PICKET

The then additional joint collector of Srikakulam got both the groups to negotiate a settlement around one and half year ago. When the attempt failed, it was ordered that no one would be allowed to trespass into the government land. Since then tensions have been simmering. A police picket was posted in the village around two months ago following altercations. Yet no steps were taken by the district administration or the minister in state government, K Murali, who represents the constituency in which the village falls, to resolve this dispute.

The criminal negligence of the authorities has been compounded with the decision to remove the police picket in the village citing security requirement for the recent bye-elections. With just two police constables left in the picket, this bloodbath was waiting to happen and it did occur. A group of backward community persons, in a pre-planned move, descended on the houses of dalits in autos and attacked them with axes, swords, sticks and boulders. Four dalits were killed immediately and another passed away while being treated in a nearby PHC. They dragged the victims out of the houses and butchered them. The attackers also used country-made bombs to scare away other dalits, who ran away. Even the women and children were beaten up mercilessly even as they watched their dear ones being killed in front of their own eyes.

The state government is trying to escape responsibility for the massacre by just announcing an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh for each bereaved family. Those who have been killed were the sole breadwinners for their family and mostly in the age group of 35 and above. The CPI(M) has demanded that Rs 10 lakh must be paid as compensation to the victim families and Rs 5 lakh for those injured. It has also demanded allotment of land for dalit families in the village. The chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy who visited the village on June 13 announced that Rs 5 lakh compensation would be paid to the families of those killed in the attack. He sought to downplay the attack by saying that the attackers lost patience and acted in this manner. KVPS and other organisations slammed the CM for these remarks.

(INN)