Andhra Pradesh court convicts YSRCP leader Thota Trimurthulu for 1996 Dalit atrocity case

After 27 years, the Court convicted Trimurthulu and others for beating, tonsuring and shaving the eyebrows of K Chinna Raju and D Venkata Ratnam.

Visakhapatnam: A court has convicted YSRCP candidate for Mandapeta Assembly seat, Thota Trimurthulu and eight others for tonsuring and assaulting a group of Dalits in East Godavari district in 1996, and sentenced them to 18 months simple imprisonment, along with a penalty.

The XI Additional District and SC/ST Court delivered the verdict in the case on Tuesday. The incident took place on December 29, 1996 at Venkatayapalem village in undivided East Godavari district.

The Court convicted Trimurthulu and others under IPC, CrPC and SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989 for beating, tonsuring and shaving the eyebrows of K Chinna Raju and D Venkata Ratnam. Besides those two, three others were also assaulted.

Expressing dissatisfaction over the punishment meted out to Trimurhtulu, Ramayya, one of the victims, told PTI, “His punishment must have been stronger. He ostracised us for a year and also deprived us of livelihood, including foisting false cases against us.”

According to Ramayya, Tirmurthulu and his men attacked the five victims from December 21 to 29, 1996 for opposing ‘rigging’ at the polling booth during 1994 elections.

In 1994, he said, Trimurthulu had contested the Assembly election as an independent candidate while the five victims were working for the BSP. Ramayya highlighted that Trimurthlu, hailing from a dominant community, had humiliated the Dalits, who number only 50 families in that village.

Courtesy : DH

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