The police have arrested 16 persons for the alleged “killing” of a man, after a group of Savara tribal elders, in a kangaroo court, reportedly sentenced the 33-year-old to death charges of killing an elderly man, in Seetampeta Agency in Manyam district in Andhra Pradesh. Savara is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group in Manyam district.
The tribal elders reportedly conducted the kangaroo court on May 28 and 29 over the alleged murder of an elderly man, identified as Savara Gaya. Nearly 300 local people attended the “court”.
On May 27, Savara Singanna (33), who was said to be mentally unstable, reportedly entered into an argument with Savara Padmavathi during a wedding at Regulapadu village under Seetampeta police limits. Ms. Padmavathi’s father, Gaya, who intervened in the argument, was allegedly beaten to death with a stick by Singanna of neighbouring Usirikipadu village.
Following the incident, the tribal elders locked up Singanna in a room and directed his family members to attend the “kangaroo court”.
“Next day, the Savara tribal elders conducted a kangaroo court over the alleged murder and passed a verdict, according to which the family of Singanna should eliminate him for his act of ‘murder’. For two days, the elders coordinated the ‘murder’ until Singanna was killed by his own family,” said Palakonda Deputy Superintendent of Police M. Sravani at a press conference.
The kangaroo court also reportedly passed a verdict stating that the last rites of Mr. Gaya would not be performed until Singanna was killed.
“Two brothers and father of Singanna had to eliminate him as per the kangaroo court order. In the first attempt, the family members forcibly fed rat poison to Singanna, but he survived. Later, he was strangled to death with a rope to implement the verdict,” Ms. Sravani said, as per a series of videos released by the police. The last rites of the two bodies were performed on May 29, the police official added.
The incident came to light on May 29 through the Village Secretariat. “We have arrested 16 persons, including three family members of Mr. Singanna. The rest of them have been identified as a group that conducted the kangaroo court. The DNA and forensic tests are being conducted in the case,” Ms. Sravani said on Friday.
