When an Ambedkar statue sparked a caste war in AP

These are trying times for 450 dalit families in Garagaparru village, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. They have been facing social boycott since May 5, 2017, all because they wanted to install a statue of Babasaheb Ambedkar at their village. The culture of installing busts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana had taken off after the death of former chief minister Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy. Interesting anecdote: Once YSR Congress party (YSRCP) was voted out of power, the party was denied permission to install statues of their departed leader; many busts can still be seen lying around, covered and un-inaugurated.

Garagaparru village, like many other settlements, flaunts statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Arthur Cotton, Alluri Sitarama Raju, Tandra Paparayudu and numerous deities. The dalits of Pathapeta and Kothapeta, as their colonies are named, wanted a statue of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. It is not clear whether they received permission from the village sarpanch, but the community installed Ambedkar's statue on April 23, 2017. The bust was eventually stolen; according to the dalits, the deed was done by upper caste residents of the village.

The dalits protested with a rasta roko (protest by blocking the roads). With help from officials, the statue was brought back and re-installed. This did not sit well with the upper caste residents (their leaders Balram Raju, Gattukoppala Srinivasu and Muddunoor Ramaraju were later arrested in connection with the incident). They, along with representatives from 14 castes—including Kshatriyas, backward castes and Kapus—ordered that the statue be removed before May 5. Else, the Mala dalits would be socially boycotted. The dalits were asked to give up the land in which they cultivated for generations. Those working in and around the village faced the heat; their animals were not allowed to graze on the grounds belonging to the villagers.

Medical practitioners who treated dalit patients were asked to leave the village. A CCTV camera was installed at the latter's colony. The irony is that caste discrimination continues unabated even in the seemingly developed Godavari districts. Even more shocking, news of the incident was blacked out for over two months. It was only recently picked up by the social media.

Satyala Raju, who is a resident of the village, is bemused by the fact that the upper caste residents are now conducting a dharna for the release of the three accused. "There is no work for us. Luckily, we are getting our rations and are able to manage our day-to-day activities, but no one will talk to us or employ us," he says.

The district superintendent of police, Bhaskar Bhushan, and West Godavari Collector Bhaskar Katamaneni had initially denied that such an incident even occurred. Now, they have been forced to conduct an enquiry.

Kapu leader Mudragada Padmanabham wrote an open letter to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, alleging that the latter's inaction aggravated the situation.

Former Congress MP of Amalapuram, G.V. Harsha Kumar embarked on an indefinite hunger strike, but withdrew it after the police arrested the three accused. The ex-MP has been placed under house arrest.

The situation in the village is at an impasse, with the police blocking all the roads and installing check posts. A number of dalit leaders who attempted to visit the settlement were sent back, but the dalits of Garagaparru village have put forth three demands:

• The SC colony should be made a separate grama panchayat, independent of the main village.
• The SCs should be given land under the land purchase scheme.
• The accused should be severely punished. Else, the upper caste residents will continue their violence against the dalit community with impunity.
  
  
  

The government officials are trying to bring about a compromise between the dalits of the village and the Kshatriyas, but the former are in no mood for any compromise.