Dalit outrage in Tenali after Jagan Reddy's visit over alleged police brutality
Former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy faced protests by Dalit and civil society organisations when he arrived in Tenali region of Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district to meet the family of one of the three men who were publicly beaten by police. His visit on Tuesday sparked protests by Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti activists, and local residents blocked key roads including Aitanagar centers, forming human chains and releasing black balloons while chanting slogans like 'Jagan Go Back'.advertisementThe members of the organisation expressed anger and claimed that Jagan was supporting rowdy sheeters.
Meanwhile, Telugu Desam Party's Dalit wing chief and MLA MS Raju came down heavily on Jagan, accusing him of supporting criminals under the guise of protecting Dalit rights.'Jagan has become the brand ambassador of criminals,' he said, adding that the YSRCP was shedding 'crocodile tears' and using caste as a political shield. 'A criminal is a criminal, regardless of caste,' Raju asserted.The visit followed after a video surfaced showing police officers in uniform beating three young men on a public road in Tenali's Lingaraju Centre. All three reportedly belong to underprivileged communities and were accused of attacking a constable while allegedly under the influence of ganja. The footage surfaced last week and sparked widespread outrage over alleged police highhandedness.advertisementJagan slammed the ruling TDP government on X, accusing it of turning Andhra Pradesh into a police state. 'The @ncbn-led government is violating the Constitution by allowing unchecked police brutality,' he wrote, highlighting the assault as a targeted attack on Dalit and minority youth.
Calling it a direct attack on democracy, Jagan alleged that the police acted with impunity, mocked due process, and created a climate of fear that suppressed the incident until it went viral.While the YSR Congress Party condemned the incident and demanded a probe, Home Minister Anitha defended the police, claiming they only acted against 'rowdy sheeters and the ganja batch.' In a statement, she said, 'Police punished such people before the courts. It is not right to attribute caste and religion to this.'
IN THIS STORY#Andhra Pradesh
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