7 BRS workers held over ‘purification’ ritual: Cops

Telangana police on Tuesday announced arrest of seven Bharata Rashtra Samithi workers in connection with the alleged “purification” of the road and surroundings near the farmhouse of BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Erravelli in Siddipet district, following a protest by Dalit workers of the Congress party on September 8.

Markook sub-inspector M A Yusuf said the arrests were made on Monday in connection with the alleged purification rituals. The accused BRS workers were identified as: Praveen Appala, Raju Arikela, Raju Kodari, Himavanth alias Bhanu Macha, Mallesham Kammanthani, Ilaiah Kammanthani and Amarendar Reddaboyina.

“The accused were produced before a court in Gajwel late on Tuesday and were remanded to two-week judicial custody. They were later shifted to Siddipet jail,” the police official said.

According to the police, a total of 21 people were identified as accused in the three cases registered over the incident. Of them, seven have so far been arrested, while the remaining 14 are absconding.

On September 8, several Dalit activists belonging to the Congress organised a “Chavu Dappu” (drum-beating) demonstrations at KCR’s farmhouse at Erravelli village in protest against alleged abusive comments made by BRS MLC Tata Madhu against Telangana assembly speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste community.

Hours after the protest, BRS leaders and workers allegedly carried out a symbolic “purification” by sprinkling or pouring turmeric water and milk on stretches of road through which the protesters had passed.

In his complaint, a Dalit activist Srikanth lodged a complaint with the police alleging that the BRS workers conducted “purification” in the area by sprinkling turmeric water on the road near the Hanuman temple at Varadarajupur village near Erravelli, suggesting that the presence of Dalits had rendered the area impure.

Police registered three separate FIRs on September 10 in connection with similar incidents. One case relates to the alleged purification at Varadarajupur, while the other two concern similar acts near the Brahmam Gari temple in Erravelli and on the road between Varadarajupur and the Erravelli farmhouse.

The cases were registered under Sections 196 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(u) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and Section 7 of the Protection of Civil Rights Act.

The alleged purification ritual triggered sharp criticism and comparisons with a similar ‘shuddhikaran’ ritual at Haldwani’s Ramlila Maidan in Uttarakhand following a rally addressed by AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge. Kharge had publicly expressed his anguish over the incident, saying it reminded him of the continuing pain of untouchability.

The Telangana government subsequently constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by senior IPS officer Vijay Kumar, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident and initiate action against those responsible.

The SIT and local police continued searches for the accused for nearly six days. According to police, the accused from Varadarajupur had fled to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and were staying there. With the assistance of the local police in Vijayawada, the Telangana police arrested seven of them on Monday.