Telangana police on Tuesday announced arrest of seven Bharata Rashtra Samithi workers in connection with the alleged “purification” of the road and surroundings near the farmhouse of BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Erravelli in Siddipet district, following a protest by Dalit workers of the Congress party on September 8.
One case relates to the alleged purification at Varadarajupur, while the other two concern similar acts near the Brahmam Gari temple in Erravelli and on the road between Varadarajupur and the Erravelli farmhouse. The Telangana government subsequently constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by senior IPS officer Vijay Kumar, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the incident and initiate action against those responsible. The SIT and local police continued searches for the accused for nearly six days.
A total of 21 people were identified as accused in the three cases registered over the incident, according to the police. Of them, seven have so far been arrested, while the remaining 14 are absconding. Police registered three separate FIRs on September 10 in connection with similar incidents.
They were later shifted to Siddipet jail,” the police official said. In his complaint, a Dalit activist Srikanth lodged a complaint with the police alleging that the BRS workers conducted “purification” in the area by sprinkling turmeric water on the road near the Hanuman temple at Varadarajupur village near Erravelli, suggesting that the presence of Dalits had rendered the area impure. The accused from Varadarajupur had fled to Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh and were staying there, according to police.
“The accused were produced before a court in Gajwel late on Tuesday and were remanded to two-week judicial custody. With the assistance of the local police in Vijayawada, the Telangana police arrested seven of them on Monday.
