PUCL,
January 2004
Brutal murder of a
dalit leader, Birusanti Obanna in Andhra Pradesh
(Based on the report prepared by KNPS fact-finding team consisting of
D. Prabhakar, State President and Subbarayudu, District Secretary of KNPS
And other local activists.)
Mr.Birusanti Obanna (40), a dalit leader, was brutally murdered by the
Reddy upper caste leaders, known popularly as factionists in Rayalaseema
region. He is a well-known dalit leader of Koilkuntla area of Kurnool
district and also the district Executive committee member of Kula Nirmoolana
Porata Samiti. Obanna^Òs body was found on 22.01.04 under Erravagu
culvert in between Bijinavemula and Kopperla villages. Obanna was stabbed
in his stomach, chest and head. His face was burnt with acid. The relatives
of Obanna came to know about the murder of Obanna only on 23.01.04 after
reading a small news item in Eenadu daily.
Obanna, a son of Musalanna (late) and Ribukamma, is a native of Ramireddy
palle village in Sanjamala Mandal, Kurnool district. He was born in a
poor mala (scheduled caste) family. He passed B.Sc in 1983 from a college
in Ananthapur. All his sisters and brothers got married and are living
separately. He has been living with his mother after the death of his
wife some years ago. He has taken up several issues of Dalits in the area
.He has been associated with the Federation of Ambedkar youth Organizations,
Gani Karmika Sangam, Rythu-coolie Hakkula Sangham and presently Kula Nirmoolana
Porata Samiti.
He has taken up several issues such as the house sites
for SC/ST/BCs, Ration cards, caste discrimination and so on. Particular
mention may be made of the following issues: i) the reopening of a factory
of Polish stones belonging to the Scheduled castes of Kolimigundla mandal.
The factory was closed due to the politics and pressure of the local feudal
lords. Obanna fought for the reopening of the factory. ii) The other important
issue is the struggle for one-acre land occupied and enjoyed by Tulasi
Reddy, a local leader of Telugu Desam party. Obanna and other dalit youth
represented the matter to the Collector and other authorities and got
the occupied land back to Mala Chenchanna in 1997.This struggle was a
big blow to the domination of Tulasi Reddy and other local reddys. iii)
Obanna demanded for the representation of Dalits in the Watershed committee
of the government in his village Ramreddy palle. The Upper caste Reddys
rejected the demand for Dalit representation and gave up the works worth
Rs.20 lakhs.
The Reasons for Obanna's murder
Obanna's activities angered the Reddys in the area. He was threatened
several times by the Reddys.Obanna did not bother about the threats and
continued to work for dalits. The immediate cause to the murder of Obanna
is the land issue of Mallu Savitri w/o Padmanabha Reddy (late). Savitri
came to know that Obanna fought for the land of Mala Chenchanna occupied
by Tulasi Reddy of Ramireddy palle. The Same Tulasi Reddy also forced
Savitri to sell 5.2 acres of the patta land (in the same area of chenchanna^Òs
one acre) registered in the name of her minor children in 1993. Recently
Obanna represented the matter to the District Collector and Superintendent
of Police. He pointed out that Savitri, the guardian of her minor children,
has no legal powers to sell the land. The District Authorities asked Tulasi
Reddy to hand over the land to the children of Savitri.When Tulasi Reddy
did not hand over the land, Obanna got a court order and stopped the quarrying
of black stone in the land.
Tulasi Reddy incurred a loss of Rs.15,000 a month. This action of Obanna
angered Tulsi reddy and his relatives. Obanna filed a complaint with the
C.I. Rami Reddy stating that Tulasi Reddy and his relatives may kill him.
According to our fact finding team, Manchala Tulasi Reddy and his relatives
Manchala Nagi Reddy, Maddileti Reddy alias Papodu murdered Obanna in Savitri^Òs
house in Koilkuntla on 20th January 2004. The Police identified the body
of Obanna on 22.01.04. The same day, Mr.Rami Reddy, the C.I. of Koilkuntla,
went to Ramireddy palle and picked up Tulsi Reddy and others of Obanna
about the murder. It is surprising that he did not inform the relatives.
The relatives came to know about Obanna^Òs murder on 23 rd morning
through the newspaper.
The Police identified Savitri^Òs house as the place of murder and
noted blood marks on the walls of the house. They filed a case under IPC
302 and did mention the names of Tulsireddy, Nagi Reddy and China Maddileti
Reddy as culprits. . The Culprits move freely threatening the witnesses
and the relatives of Obanna.The C.I.Rami Reddy, acting as the agent of
the culprits, refused to book the case under SC/ST (POA) Act. The culprits
Tulasi Reddy, Nagi Reddy and Maddileti Reddy are members of Karra Subba
Reddy (Telugu Desam Party) faction. The Police and the TDP government
support these faction leaders and their followers who threaten and kill
people to continue their political domination. The Local Press persons
reported the murder as a case of a murder of an unknown person. They stopped
publishing any other version about the murder even after attending our
press conferences.
Obanna is a very popular leader of Dalits and other poorer sections in
Koilkuntla region of Kurnool District. He is well known to the reporters
and to the Police. His death passed off as a non-event to the Press. The
Police and the Press suggest that the factionists pressurize them. This
is the state of Rayalaseema.
The family members of Obanna and We submitted a representation to the
District Collector and addressed a Press conference on 25.01.04 in Kurnool.Sadly,
the local reporters in Koilkuntla and the Kurnool reporters did not report
our press conference. We have submitted a representation to The Director,
National Commission for SCs and STs, Hyderabad. We are planning a programme
of action to bring the culprits to book and get the compensation to the
dependent mother of Obanna.
K.Satyanarayana
State Secretary
Kula Nirmoolana Porata Samiti (KNPS)
Flat-52
CIEFL quarters
Taranaka
Hyderabad-7
Ph.27091753
Write protest letters to
cmap@ap.nic.in