It has been over 18 years and the trial of the sensational Ramachandrapuram tonsure case has hardly made any progress. So far, the witnesses have not been cross-examined and the trial has not moved as desired in an SC/ ST atrocity case, said Senior Advocate and activist Bojja Tarakam here on Saturday.
On December 29, 1996, two Dalit youths -- D. Venkatratnam and Koti China Raju -- were forcibly tonsured by the then local MLA Thota Trimurthulu and his men. Three other Dalit youths -- Ch. Pattabhiramayya, K. Ganapathi and P. Venkatramana -- were beaten up. The youths were called up by the MLA on the night of December 29 in 1996 at Venkatayyapalem village under Ramchandrapuram mandal of East Godavari district and were beaten up and two of them were tonsured for allegedly opposing the MLA in the Assembly election.
An FIR was lodged on January 4, 1997, and the MLA and nine others were arrested. The MLA even served a three-month jail term at Rajahmundry Central Jail.
“Thereafter, a case was filed under Section 310 of SC/ST Atrocities Act in Rajahmundry. But the MLA influenced and got transferred the case to the SC/ST Court in Visakhapatnam. And since then the case has not moved,” said Mr. Bojja Tarakam.
The MLA had won the election as an independent candidate and is now the sitting MLA of the Telugu Desam Party.
According to Koti China Raju, the village is predominantly a Kapu village and the MLA also hails from that community. “The Dalits are treated as sub-standard citizens, even after 68 years of Independence,” he said.
“We demand immediate completion of the trail and speedy justice to the Dalits who were humiliated,” Mr. Tarakam said.
According to him the judicial system has been slow in disposing of the cases related to Dalits.
