Moorthy, Mohan Kumar, Sethpathi belongs to Dalit Community, reside at Indira Nagar, Aarunthathiyur St, Paddiyur, Kangayam Taluk Under Kangayam police Jurisdiction, Erode District.  Three School Students were grievously wounded by the Gounder Community.                     Mr. Kumarasamy Gounder viciously attacked the Dalit boys by using stones and other weapons under the name of stealing the coconuts from his garden. 

They lodge the complaint in Kangayam Police Station, but the police officials filed a case only under IPC section.  They did not added SC/ST Poa Act, but the perpetrator used derogatory words to refer caste name so alter the case under SC/ST PoA Act of 1989,  Kumarasamy  was arrested by the police.

Pottilanka is a gram panchyat adjacent to River Godavari. The major communities in the village are Kapus and Dalits (Malas). There are about 300 families of Dalits and 900 families of Kapus. Hardly about 40 dalit families have a piece of land and all the rest are landless. All the dalits have to depend on Kapus for daily agricultural work. Both the Gram   Panchyat and MPTC are reserved for SCs. Thus   in   the   elections   held   for   Panchyat  Raj  in  the year   2007     persons     belonging    to    the Mala (Dalit) community  got  elected  as  Gram Sarpanch and MPTC member.

On 21^st June, 2008 around 7:30 pm at about 350 to 400 people belonging to dominant caste (Kapus) cordoned the dalit colony, attacked, ransacked the colony and murdered a Dalit, injured 10 men in Pottilanka Village, Kadiyam Mandal of East Godavari District. The attack continued until 11:30 p.m. in the night. Kapus   belonging   to Chimidilanka, Aghraharam and Pottilanka Villages took part in the mass attack. Valli Veerapandu S/o Peddaburaiah, aged 30 yrs, belonging to SC Mala Community was brutally murdered. In the mass attack 10 others were injured, namely

1.       Remandla Yesu S/o R.Vadapalli, aged 30 yrs (in critical condition).                                       
2.       Ambati Rajaratnam s/o Asheervadam(late), aged 20 yrs 
3.       Kondepudi Sitaiah S/o K.Veeraraju, aged 26 yrs.            
4.       Kollapu Appa Rao S/o Veeraswamy,  aged 26 Yrs              
5.       E.Kosi S/o Satyanarayana, aged 27 Yrs                          
6.       Kondepudi Veeraraju  S/o Veeraiah, aged 55 yrs
7.       K.Adinarayana  S/o K.Narayana, aged 35Yrs   
8.       R.Chinnu S/o K. Veerraju, aged 23Yrs
9.       Badugu Palliah S/o Mussaliah, aged 45Yrs                        
10.   P.Satyi Babu S/o K.Subbarao, aged 20Yrs.                                                 

The Dalits were attacked with knives, iron rods, sticks, stones and chili powder. The attacking mob misbehaved with women, abused them in the name of caste, pulled off their sarees and tore their blouses. They pelted stones on dalit houses and roof tops damaging the tiled roofs.  Even the church was not spared. They broke open doors, windows, etc. Many temporary compound walls made with coconut leaves and a few walls of brick were pulled down. They even damaged cycles, hand bores and an auto.  Since a complaint was already lodged on behalf of Amabati Rajaratnam on Saturday, police were seized of the issue and police picket was posted in the village. Inpre-plannedand organized attack, the attackers cut the power supply and blew police whistles and when the dalits came out, attacked them saying “Jai Cheeranjeeva”. Though the attack took place in the presence of the police, they remained silent spectators. 

In the year 1977 the dalits were given 5 acres of land by the government under Farming Society, for which the Kapus raised objection. Since the dispute became serious and police picket was posted for 3 months in the village during those days. Kapus imposed social boycott on the dalits for 3 years. The dalits were not allowed to use the pathways beside the agricultural lands of Kapus.  Likewise, in 1977 itself the government gave houses to the dalits, which the Kapus did not like. Later during 1990s one, Mr. Palli Chinna, a dalit, was elected as MPTC member. The Kapus who bore grudge against dalits did not allow this dalit MPTC to discharge his duties nor to sit in his official chair. The Dalits fought against the discriminatory and oppressive behavior of the Kapus and agitated against them. The dalits got a case registered against the then leader of Kapus, Mr. Kothapalli Chinna under SC/ST (PoA) Act. In the year 1992 the Kapus burnt the effigy of Ambedkar. Thus if one studies the background of the village, one will understand that the Kapus were continuously harassing dalits and trying to dominate them ever since  1977, while the dalits were resisting these attempts and never surrendered.  This tug of war situation for the past three decades provides the background for the present attack.

On 20^th June 2008 about 15 Dalit men went for mango plantations work. While the dalits were on work, around 11 am on that day, the Kapu youth asked the Dalit men to perform garadi (magic show) on Cheeranjivi’s Party, which the Dalit Youth denied saying the Party is yet to be launched. There was argument on the same by the both youth groups.

Later in the evening of the same day around 7 pm one Mr. Kondepudi Sitaiah, a dalit,  was  having  Tiffin  in  the hotel. One Mr. Gatti Buraiah S/o Annavaram of Kapu caste caught hold of Kondepudi Sitiah’s neck and pushed him away abusing him on the name of caste. At the same time, on the other side of the road, Raja and Ambati Raja Ratnam, dalits, were beaten by the Kapus. On 21^st June in the morning Ambati Raja Ratnam was forcibly taken to the Panchayat Office by the Kapus and was beaten up, allegedly stating that he has misbehaved with a kapu girl. Having come to know of the incident, mother of Rajaratnam and other women went to the panchayat office. They were abused in the name of caste, in filthy language and were not allowed inside. Then they informed the same to the police. The police came and rescued Raja Ratnam and sent him for medical treatment.  In continuation of these incidents and in the general background of the decades of oppression and domination, Kapus conspired, planned and attacked the dalit colony on the night of 21^st June 2008 causing death of one person and injuring several others as detailed above.

Two separate cases have been registered. The details are as follows:

(1) FIR No 101/2008 dated 21/06/08, registered U/s 147, 148, 324, 379 R/w 149 of IPC  and 3(1)(X) of SC/ST(PoA) Act on Thrinati Narayana Rao and 15 others for beating  Ambati Rajaratnam.

(2) FIR No 102 /2008 dated 22/06/2008, registered U/s 147, 148, 302, 307, 324, 427, 452, R/w 149 of IPC and 3(i)(x) of SC/ST(PoA) Act on Kola Nageswara Rao and 115 others for murdering Palli Veera Pandu and injuring Badugu Pullaiah and 3 others.

 29 members of Kapu caste were arrested and sent for remand. Social boycott was going on in the village, wherein the dalits were being denied Milk, medicines, etc...

 Women have expressed that they are afraid to go and work in the fields of the kapus and at the same time not interested to work in their agricultural lands.  

(6) The Kapus have organized a dharna (public action) demanding to waive off the cases and release of their caste persons.  The Kapus are campaigning against G. Surya Rao, a dalit Minister and G. Harsha Kumar, a dalit MP.  In an organized manner the kapus are spreading rumors that the misbehavior of dalit towards a kapu girl was the reason for the clashes and alleged girl has committed suicide and died, whereas the girl has actually been moved to another place.  This shows that they not only planned the attack and are further spreading rumors to justify the attack and divert the attention of the public.

Mr. Ramasamy belongs to dalit community, reside at No.6/172, Arijana colony , Ammapalayam, Palladam Taluk, Tiruppur district. He working was a Agricultural daily worker. On 15.06.2008 he went to Avinasipalayam bus stand with his relatives. While him standing in bus stand. Mr.Mailsamy, Mr.Sivaprakasam, Mr.Ravi, Mr.Ramasamy, Mr.Singam and Mr.Balamani belongs to caste hindu community were crossing that way.

Mr.Mailsamy and were abused in filthy words and derogatory referred by caste name. Suddenly they were attacked Ramasamy and his relatives. Mr. Vinothkumar, Sivagami, Baby, Veerasamy and Nagaraj child were injured during the attack. They were admitted in Palladam Government hospital. Following that Avinasipalayam police filed the case against those accused. Police were arrested the accused those who involved in the caste atrocity and remanded in jail. This case was trial in Coimbatore sessions court.

Case in Brief:

Gollapalli Suryavathi, SC mala by caste, D/o Surya Rao is a resident of Kathipudi Village and Mandal of East Godavari. After Suryavathi achieved puberty, she was lured by Kotipalli Siva, Kapu (OC) by caste, who was a lorry driver. He promised her that he will take care of her. Suryavathi fearing that she would remain unmarried for her father being old, her sister being a widow, and her mother deserted the family, she had sexual relationship with Surya Rao. She started living in a hut made on Government land, quenched her needs with the money provided by Surya Rao and became pregnant. He tried to get her aborted, and it was not possible. She gave birth to a girl. The girl is named as Devi. After one year she again became pregnant. He got her aborted. And after staying together for 10 years he left her away and started staying with other dalit woman. When Surya Rao is questioned about deserting her, he alleged that Suryavathi had some disease and because of that she is growing thinner. This is the reason he had left her. She lodged a complaint at Annavaram P.S.