Koteswara Rao of Prakasam district was killed over a petty dispute on 29 April 2002. Dasari Sivaiah of the same district was killed on 16 December 2003 for filing a case against some landlords. Both these were Dalits. Even refusal by a Dalit to work could lead to his death. The killing of T Sankariah of Nellore district on 17 February this year is a case in point.

Efforts of the Dalit Bahujan Shramik Union has brought to light several such incidents. On 9 May 2003, R Rajasekhar of Ranga Reddy district was playing cricket when the ball went inside a landlord’s house. When he went in to collect the ball, the landlord’s people humiliated him, questioning his right to enter their house and his guts to play the game “which is meant for only Upper Caste people”. Unable to bear the humiliation, the boy later committed suicide.

Even falling in love with an Upper Caste person can be suicidal. Annavarapu Sridevi died in Maddipadu police lock-up in the same district some time ago because she warmed up to a high caste man.

The Telugu Desam Government’s answer to the Punnaiah Commission’s report, which recommended several preventive measures after a careful study of the atrocities was the release of 20 Government Orders.

In murder cases, criminals must be booked under IPC Sections 302, 306 and 307 and also under SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which is rarely complied with. The Police prefer cases under Section 126. Moreover while the Act stipulates that inquiry must be conduced by a deputy superintendent of police, it is usually the local sub-inspector who does the job.

Atrocities keep mounting every year with the law-enforcers turning a blind eye to the crimes against Dalits in many cases. In 1999-2000, 226 cases were reported and the following year they went up to 452 followed by 474 in 2001-02 and 286 in 2002-03. This year by July end, 298 cases were reported.

Saakshi Human Rights Forum, which is fighting for Dalit rights, has found something very interesting through a study. In all 22 of the atrocities were committed for asserting their rights over land and water, 15.2 per cent for participating in cultural events like jataras, 10.2 per cent for seeking legal recourse against injustice and 7.2 per cent for choosing a particular occupation. The self-dignity of a Dalit is an unbearable factor for Upper Castes in many villages, which is proved by the fact that 20.8 per cent of the cases came under others category.

Deprivation of justice begins at the police station itself as registration of FIR is done only in 43.6 per cent of the cases whereas 27.6 per cent of the crimes go unregistered and 17.8 per cent attract wrong provisions. The stipulation that charge sheet must be filed within 30 or 90 days is rarely honoured as is proved by its compliance in a paltry 4.9 per cent of the cases.

The state stands fourth in crime against Dalits going by the National Crime Records Bureau. The question that Dalit organisations pose today is: “Will the Congress Government be different from its predecessor?”