Controversy surrounding infant’s death and caste discrimination continues in Nagarkurnool

BRS leaders staged a protest in Nagarkurnool demanding justice for a BC family after a two-month-old baby died following an alleged caste-based assault. The party accused police of inaction, while the NHRC registered a case based on a complaint

Nagarkurnool: The controversy surrounding the death of a two-month-old baby and alleged caste discrimination against a family continues in Kummera village, and leaders and workers of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) staged a protest in front of the Nagarkurnool police station here on Sunday, demanding justice for the family.

As the incident occurred in Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s home district of Palamoor, the issue assumed political significance. The alleged assault on members of a BC family occurred on Wednesday, when the family went to the Kummera Mallikarjuna Swamy temple.

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The family members alleged that they were abused in the name of caste and were physically assaulted by a few persons. In the incident, a two-month-old baby died at the Government General Hospital here on Saturday, the family members charged.

Demanding justice for the BC family, BRS former MLA Marri Janardhan Reddy, along with party workers, staged a protest in front of the police station. It has been over 24 hours since the infant’s death and the police have not taken the accused into custody, he charged. “Till the accused are taken into custody and the FIR copy is handed over to the BC family, BRS will continue the protest,” Marri Janardhan Reddy said.

Raising slogans against the Congress government, the BRS leaders alleged that the police were trying to dilute the case. They demanded that the government take action against the police officials who colluded with the accused persons and weakened the case.

Along with the BRS leaders, members of BC welfare organisations also participated in the protest. The BC leaders also demanded an explanation from the police as to why the accused had not been taken into custody so far. They threatened to intensify their stir if the police and government failed to deliver justice to the BC family.

Meanwhile, senior advocate Rama Rao Immaneni said the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had registered a case based on a complaint filed by him.

A family was denied entry into a temple. The family members were beaten by upper-caste event organisers, and the infant fell during the assault and later succumbed to injuries. The NHRC took cognisance of the issue following a formal complaint, he stated in a statement.