The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman H.L. Dattu assured an AICC delegation from Telangana that it would send a team to seek a report on the Nerella incident in which a few dalits were assaulted by police for questioning the sand mafia in Sircilla district.
The AICC delegation, led by the newly-appointed TPCC in-charge of R.C. Khuntia, consisted former PCC presidents V. Hanumantha Rao and P Laxmaiah and MPs M.A. Khan, Renuka Chowdhury and Rapolu Ananda Bhaskar besides TPCC chief spokesperson Dasoju Sravan.
A controversy broke out after B. Bhudaiah of Nerella village was mowed down by a speeding sand lorry on July 2. This was the fourth such incident in the area and angry villagers from Rajanna-Sircilla district allegedly torched the sand-laden lorry.
Immediately after the incident, the police detained six dalits from the village. Those arrested in connection with the incident claimed that they were subjected to torture and abuse by the police.
The opposition Congress condemned the incident and urged the government to initiate action under SC/ST Atrocities Act against the cops who are guilty. The party organised a public meeting with the slogan ‘Chalo Sircilla’ on July 31 at Sircilla town in which Meira Kumar was the chief guest. "We had several dreams about Telangana. We expected Telangana to be a state where there would be no atrocities against dalits, adivasis, BCs, minorities or other sections. But I was in extreme pain when I was told about Nerella incident. I could not control my tears," Kumar meet.
Kumar also visited the Karimnagar District Jail along with other Congress leaders where she met with four of the alleged victims.
Although the Congress meeting turned out to be a damp squib, it drew public attention to the issue. Meanwhile, the opposition parties are using the incident to corner Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao, who tried to downplay the incident, and have demanded jobs, ex gratia payment of Rs 5 lakh and three acres of land for each of the victims.
Congress party state president Uttam Kumar Reddy claimed that SCs and BCs of Nerella were being harassed after the protest against the sand mafia and said after the TRS came to power in the state, there is no social justice in Telangana.
IT minister K.T. Rama Rao said the torture of villagers by police was unfortunate. The state government had ordered an inquiry by a DIG-level officer into police high-handedness. Rama Rao also promised to provide treatment for all the victims, but pointed out that the police had registered cases against all the villagers, including dalits, tribals and BCs. He further said the opposition should not call it the sand mafia as the government had earned more than ₹1,000 crore from sand mining.
The Congress, meanwhile, alleged that the family members of chief minister were directly connected with sand mafia and according to the party, the state government was collecting only Rs 8,250 for each truck of sand while the same was being sold in the open market for about Rs 80,000.
Rama Rao said, "It is not sand mafia or illegal transportation of sand from the river." The minister had earlier said the natural resources were the property of the people and measures would be taken to see that they are not being exploited by some, when discussing the sand mafia.
