Video: Urea crisis turns into custodial horror: Sai Siddu recounts torture by police

A 22-year-old tribal farmer from Nalgonda has alleged brutal custodial violence and casteist abuse by police officials after a scuffle over urea supply. The incident, captured in a viral video, has sparked widespread outrage, raising questions about police conduct and caste discrimination in rural Telangana.

Nalgonda: What began as a desperate fight for urea amid a statewide crisis turned into a nightmare of third-degree brutality and casteist abuse for 22-year-old Dhanavath Sai Siddu, a tribal farmer from Kothapeta Tanda village in Damaracherla.

“They showed me what real brutality looks like,” Sai Siddu recounted in a meek voice on Wednesday. Bruised and still limping, he trembled as he shared his experience with his friends after being released on bail.

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Three constables pinned him down while Sub-Inspector Srikanth Reddy used a lathi on his heels. The blows rained down for 25 minutes, he said, adding that he was whipped with belts as well while the SI kicked him with boots, targeting his ribs. He also hurled casteist slurs, which caused more pain than any physical wound, Siddu narrated.

Unable to stand and writhing in agony, Sai Siddu begged for mercy. But the ordeal didn’t end there. The officers forced him to his feet, demanding he “take a walk” to court.

“I was in no position to get up,” he said, tears welling up. “The SI kicked me again, yelling at me to move.” This was in preparation for the mandatory hospital visit before being produced in court.

The worst came in the form of the SI’s final warning: “Don’t tell the doctors or the judge about this. If you do, I’ll make sure you never get bail again.”

Silenced by fear and pain, Sai Siddu began vomiting after sipping water, he said in a video that is now being widely shared on social media.

 

Watch: A 22-year-old #tribal farmer from Nalgonda has alleged brutal custodial violence and #casteist abuse by police officials after a scuffle over urea supply. #Nalgonda #UreaShortage #LambadiCommunity pic.twitter.com/YYXRLWDRqv

— Telangana Today (@TelanganaToday) September 24, 2025