1996 Dalits Atrocity Case: Vizag Court Convicts YSRCP Thota Trimurthulu

A court in Vishakhapatnam has convicted Thota Trimurthulu, the Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) candidate for Mandapeta Assembly seat, and eight others for tonsuring and assaulting a group of Dalits in East Godavari district in 1996. They have been sentenced to 18 months of simple imprisonment, along with a penalty.

The XI Additional District and SC/ST Court delivered the verdict in the case. The incident occurred on December 29, 1996, at Venkatayapalem village in undivided East Godavari district.

Conviction

Trimurthulu and others were convicted under various sections of the IPC, CrPC, and the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989, for beating, tonsuring, and shaving the eyebrows of K Chinna Raju and D Venkata Ratnam. Additionally, three others were also assaulted.

Victim

Expressing dissatisfaction over the punishment imposed on Trimurhtulu, Ramayya, one of the victims, stated, ”His punishment should have been more severe. He ostracized us for a year and also deprived us of our livelihood, including filing false cases against us.” According to Ramayya, Tirmurthulu and his associates attacked the five victims from December 21 to 29, 1996, for opposing ”rigging” at the polling booth during the 1994 elections

In 1994, he stated, Trimurthulu had contested the Assembly election as an independent candidate while the five victims were working for the BSP. Ramayya underscored that Trimurthlu, hailing from a dominant community, had subjected the Dalits, totaling only 50 families in that village, to humiliation.

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