The hand-cuffing of farmers belonging to Amaravati, while being shifted to Gutur jail in connection with a case of alleged abusing of Dalits, has caused a lot of embarrassment to the Jagan Mohan Reddy government in the state.
As the national media played up the whole incident, the government reacted quickly and directed that the police department take stern action for hand-cuffing farmers who were in judicial remand.
Guntur (rural) superintendent of police Vishal Gunny suspended six escort head constables who hand cuffed the farmers from Krishnayapalem, while shifting them to district jail.
The SP also ordered a detailed inquiry by a committee headed by additional superintendent of police and issued charge-memos to reserve sub-inspector and reserve inspector who were probing the case.
Surprisingly, the farmers, who were arrested and booked under SC/ST Atrocities (Prevention) Act, also belong to Dalit communities. The police did not take into cognizance the letter written by the complainant that they had not abused him using the caste name.
They said since the FIR had already been booked and submitted to the court, they cannot withdraw the case. In the process, the police hand-cuffed the farmers.
This triggered strong protests from Amaravati farmers’ joint action committee and Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi, who moved the court and also human rights commission, seeking to know how the farmers could be hand-cuffed when they are not convicts.
