Case in Brief:

Pentamma w/o late Balakrishna, aged 50 years belongs to Madiga community.  She is a vegetable vender.  On 1^st October 2006, the village people attacked Pentamma alleging that Pentamma performed black magic on deceased Laxmamma. Few days back Laxmamma committed suicide.   Showing this as a reason, more than 15 villagers brutally attacked and tied her to telephone pole.  Then they drenched her in kerosene and tried to kill her.  Unable to bare the harassment, Pentamma said another name Padmamma.  The villagers tied her and brutally beat her. After some time the police knew the information through advocate Balamukundam and one of the Vaartha reporters. They stopped and saved the women.

According to Pentamma’s statement, 7 years back Pentamma purchased house of one of the villagers Chandraiah. After that she spent one lakh rupees and repaired that house. After remodeling the house, Chandraiah took back the house only for 50 thousand rupees. Pentamma refused that proposal but he forced Pentamma. Till the day Chandraiah was waiting for a cause to attack Pentamma. Under these circumstances, Laxmamma committed suicide because of her personal problems. Mr. Chandraiah used this opportunity and alleged allegation on Pentamma and he mobilized village people against Pentamma.

Recommendations:

1.    Protection should be given to the victims
2.    Remaining accused should be arrested.
3.    Government should conduct awareness camps on superstitions.
4.    Rehabilitation and compensation should be provided.

Siddharth aged 49 years was the police associate of Dhusala Village. He was having his own farm. He tried to mediate between Bhayyalal Bhotmange and villagers on land disputes. Upper Caste villagers wanted a big road through Bhotmange farm and used to take tractors and other vehicles through his farm and on this issue Bhotmange family was isolated by upper caste. When Siddharth tried to mediate on the issue and tried peaceful solution, he was attacked by upper caste by chasing 1.5 Km. and beating them at Kharlanji village on 3^rd Sept. 2006. Priyanka Bhotmange saw the accused Hindu Upper Caste villagers of Khairlanji chasing Gajbhijye, sister Surekha, daughter Priyanka and both their sons brought uncle Gajbhijye to their residence. They informed Gajbhijye’s brother Rajendra and he took the injured brother to native Dhulasa village. Siddharth Gajbhijye was admitted at Roy Hospital at Kaptee town, near Nagpur. Hospital authorities informed the case to Kamptee Police Station and the Case was registered against the attackers from Khairlanji village by Kamptee Police. The case was transferred to Andhalgaon Police Station and Police arrested 12 accused from khairlanji village on 29/09/2006 and on the same day all the accused were freed by Mahadi Taluka Court on bail. Both Mrs. Surekha Bhotmange (Mother) and Priyanka Bhotmange (Daughter) were the witness in the case in the Court. Just because they were the witness of the incident of attack on Siddhartha Gajbhijye, upper caste people took revenge by brutally killing them

 Siddharth Gajbhiye a dalit himself, is a police associate of the police hired on an honorarium, and has political connections in the Congress. This gave him some leverage to be of help to the sprinkling of dalit households who lived in constant fear of the upper castes. One such family was that of Surekha Bhotmange, 45, who tilled her five-acre plot in Kherlanji village, along with her husband Bhaiyyalal, growing cotton and rice. In 1996, two acres had been taken away as \\\'easement area\\\' to build a road, so that neighboring farmers, who belong to the Powar and Kalar upper castes, could take their tractors across to other villages. Now they wanted more of their land for a water pathway, and Gajbhiye was helping Surekha resist that Gajbhiye and Bhotmange were in fact cousins, belonging to the Mahar caste. On September 3, a mob beat up Gajbhiye, the ostensible reason being his alleged illicit relationship with Surekha Bhotmange. Gajbhiye filed a police complaint against 15 men from Kherlanji village, 12 of whom were arrested. Surekha signed on the FIR as one of the witnesses and identified the 12 in a police parade. Twenty-six days later, on September 29, as soon as the 12 men were released on bail, they were taken away in a tractor by their relatives. They got drunk and went to the Bhotmanges\\\' hut threatening to finish off the entire family. Then they went looking for Gajbhiye and his brother Rajan, an engineering student. On not being able to find them, the drunken group returned to the Bhotmanges\\\' hut and broke down the door.

As per details provided all relatives to the fact finding committee the barbaric details are Bhaiyyalal’s wife surekha, 44, his daughter priyanka, 18, sons, roshan, 23, and sudhir, 21, were first stripped naked, dragged from their hut to the choupal 500 meters away and hacked to death by the entire village of the so called upper-castes. “Surekha and her daughter priyanka were humiliated, bitten, beaten black and blue and then gang-raped in full public view for an hour before they fell dead. “The perpetrator had inserted sticks into their private parts,”. The two sons were kicked and stabbed repeatedly. The assaulters then mutilated their private parts too, disfigured their faces and tossed them in air before the twosome lay dead on the ground. “When the dusk had settled, four bodies of this dalit family lay strewn at the village choupal, with the killers pumping their fists and still kicking the bodies. The rage was not over. Some angry men even raped the badly mutilated corpses of the two women.”

Alleges Rashtrapal Narnaware, Surekha’s nephew” Intriguingly, the post-mortem report says surekha and priyanka were not raped. “Doctors were managed, and the police bribed,” “Everyone in kherlanji knows what happened with my aunt and cousins, everyone was a witness to the heinous crime,” he says furiously.  The plot was meticulously planned. First, they propagated that she had illicit relation with the police-patil of neighboring Dhusala village Siddhartha Gajbhiye, who was actually her cousin. Siddhartha, a dalit too, was the only person who stood by this family. The mob didn\\\'t realise that Bhaiyyalal Bhotmagne and Siddharth\\\'s brother Rajan had seen the four victims being dragged away to the village chaupal, Priyanka strapped to a bullock cart. By now, men allegedly from the entire village of about 150 Powar and Kalar families had collected. Some shouted to the sarpanch to allow them to sexually assault the women. Siddharth Gajbhiye called the Andhalgaon police station, some six kms away, at 6.15pm, asking for help. As a frightened Bhaiyyalal escaped to another village to save his life, the four bodies were thrown at different places in the periphery of the village. Head Constable Baban Mesharam reached Kherlanji at 8:30pm and got wind of the incident, but did not register the report.

 Next day, when Bhaiyyalal Bhotmange went to the police station and filed an FIR, SHO Siddheshwar Bharne did not believe him. It was only when the police patrol started flashing reports of the discovery of mutilated dead bodies on the wireless the next day that he filed an FIR. Constable Meshram and SHO Bharne both stand suspended. Photographs of the bodies of Surekha and Priyanka taken by the police showed sticks and rods in their genitals. By the time they reached the post-mortem table, the sticks had disappeared. Charge Sheet in the case has been filed. Trial of the case is pending disposal before the court and listed for witnesses. Cross Examination of witnesses started on 3^rd May. P.P Mr. Vijawas Nigam and C.B.I lawyer insisted before the court for early hearing but the same was rejected. That was shocking for everyone. It seems that Kherlanji case will also be tried like other case. Kherlanji witnesses are under immense pressure as they feel prolonged trial will affect the case in long run. Witnessess are receiving threats continuously. C.B.I. is looking forward for the possibilities of running case in Special court. 

Case in Brief:

Balliparru is a village with 500 dalit families, 150 Kamma families and 500 other families.  Kamma are the dominating community.  Dalits are mostly fisher men in this village.  Nagamounika, victim, is studying in 5^th class in Gurukul Pathashala in Pedana.  The deceased is bright in her studies.

Brief facts of the incident:

Exams were going on in the school.  On the date of the incident, the deceased has written English exam.  She had her lunch and reported to the school authorities that she is suffering from stomach ache.  The authorities informed her parents.  Before her parents arrived, she had a vomiting and a motion.  Her parents arrived and took her to the hospital.  She died on the way. 

After her death, villagers, local leaders and parents agitated in front of the hostel that she did not get medical assistance on time.

Body of the deceased has undergone postmortem at Machlipatnam General Hospital. 

Commissions/Government officials involved:

Collector, MRO and RDO have come to the place of incident and assured that they would provide economic support to the deceased’s family.  They promised a house, rickshaw and loan to the parents of the deceased.

Yerraballi village is in the Atmakur Mandal of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. Borra Dhanamma (aged about 22yrs) belongs to SC caste Madiga. On 14^th September 2006 at around 5 pm in the evening when she was coming from land with survey no 456-1, Rama Krishnaiah Naidu S/o Dodla Yerukala Naidu who belongs to other upper caste caught hold of her hand and tried to rape. When she tried to shout loudly he covered her mouth and pushed her down to the ground and raped her. When she cried out loudly her husband came to the spot. On seeing her husband the accused left her and ran away. After coming home back, she told her husband and village elders about this incident. All other women went to the house of Rama Krishnaiah to talk about the injustice done to her. A case was registered in Atmakur police station against the accused on 15/09/2006. The accused arrested and released on bail. 

Mamta Devi W/o Sanjay Mochi (21),and his family belonging to SC (Chamar ) following the Hindu ethnicity, live in Bisun Ganj village Police station: Bisun ganj,Tehsil: Silwani District : Jahanabad 

On 13.09.06 Mamta Devi was returning back to home after natural call. While passing through the house of Pashu Ram, She felt some kind of water fell down on her face. When she looked above, she saw Kudan Sharma, Upendra Sharma All residence of Bisun ganj, Jahanabad were closing their Pants Zip. When she objected to it, the perpetrators reopened their pant sheave and said we will urinate on you. They came down and caught the victim from the hair and said “Sali harizan Chamarni tumhari itni aukat ki ham Bhumiharon ko gali deti ho “and they also started beating her and snatched her Sari.  Being frightened she started rushing towards her home and informed her husband. Then again the perpetrators came to her home and began to beat the husband and wife. They also snatched her blouse and wounded her on the shoulders and arms with the nails.

Her husband reported the matter to the S.P but no action was taken by the police. In the evening the victim lodged the complaint in the police station. Next day the DSP visited the victims house and said “Tum harijan ho harijan ki trah hi raho  tum madarchod sala zuban chalata hai neta banana chahata hai “ . On day of quarrel Sharma kicked on mamta Devi’s stomach, since then she is suffering from pain as she was 2 months pregnant at that time. The perpetrators also slapped her son on his ear, since then the child is unable to hear properly.

Police officials are not cooperative with victims. Rather they are discouraging the victims   to withdraw the case. No police official came for the help till 6 P.M. After 6 P.M family members visited police station and lodged the FIR. Even the DSP used unconstitutional language while investigating the matter. No compensation and protection is given by the administration. Victims are still receiving threats from the perpetrators.  FIR No. 206/06 has been registered u/s 341/448/354/323/379/34 IPC and u/s 3(1)(x) of SC/ST (POA)ACT 1989