Jagan visits Andhra village where Dalits faced 'boycott', YSRCP to form panel

Jagan met both the groups, that are presently in conflict, and appealed for peace and calm.

news Politics

Leader of the Opposition in Andhra and YSRCP chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy visited the locals of Garaparru village in West Godavari district on Friday, where Dalits had faced an alleged social boycott for close to two months.

Jagan met both the groups, that are presently in conflict, and appealed for peace and calm.

“Camaraderie is the need of the hour in this village and our party will take the initiative to wipe out differences between the two groups and restore normalcy in the civic life...I have come all the way to this village to get first-hand information about the incident. I am happy that both the parties are wiling to live together” he was quoted as saying.

He also said that the YSR Congress Party would appoint a special committee to restore normalcy in the area.

Jagan's visit came a day after former Andhra Minister and Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham interacted with the locals.

After interacting with locals, Mudragada traveled to the residence of former Andhra MP GV Harsha Kumar in Rajamahendravaram, who has also taken up the cause.

The Dalits have been alleging that they had faced a 'social boycott' by some upper caste men, after they proposed to install a statue of Dr BR Ambedkar in the heart of the village.

They said that ever since they installed Ambedkar’s statue, they had not been getting any labour work, and they were not being given agricultural land on lease, and were socially boycotted.

The police have since arrested three people in connection with the incident, after a case had earlier been registered against the accused under Section 341 (Wrongful Restraint), 506 r/w 34 (Criminal Intimidation) of the IPC, and the SC/ST(Prevention Of Atrocities) Act.