Only 32 convicted in 9102 SC/ST atrocity cases in Telangana

The Commission said it received 5,867 complaints over the three years on land, atrocities, service matters and other issues.

Hyderabad: Only 32 people have been convicted in the 9,102 cases of atrocities against Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) registered in Telangana between 2023 and 2026, the Telangana State SC/ST Commission has said in its three-year report.

Citing official government data, the Commission said the cases included 213 murders and 1,305 incidents of sexual assault against girls and women. The report was released on Thursday, October 1, by Commission Chairman Bakki Venkataiah.

The Commission said it received 5,867 complaints over the three years on land, atrocities, service matters and other issues. It said police and revenue departments, which are meant to support victims, are often negligent, and that police are failing to register cases promptly.

Compensation delays

The Commission said compensation under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act is meant to be paid on a war footing, but victims are forced to visit offices repeatedly for years. It said rehabilitation measures are not being properly implemented.

It also pointed to pending fee dues under the overseas education scheme, the Best Available Scheme and the Hyderabad Public School scheme, delays in releasing funds for self-employment schemes, continued backlog in filling reserved posts, and the forcible acquisition of lands from landless SCs and STs for projects.

Custodial violence and honour killings

The report listed several cases of police excesses. In Shadnagar, a Dalit woman, Sunitha, was tortured by police, after which a Circle Inspector and three other personnel were suspended. In Lagacherla village of Vikarabad district, police allegedly attacked tribal women during attempts to acquire tribal lands. The Commission said it visited the village and later met the victims in Sangareddy jail.

In Nalgonda, the family of Karla Rajesh, who died in custody, received Rs 4 lakh in compensation. In Ashwaraopet of Bhadradri Kothagudem district, Dalit Sub-Inspector Sriramulu Srinivas died by suicide, allegedly due to humiliation by senior officials. His family received Rs 8 lakh, a job for his wife and a double-bedroom house in Warangal.

On honour killings, the Commission said it visited the families of victims in Suryapet (Mala Banti), Shadnagar (Erra Rajashekar) and Jagtial (Salluri Mallesh). Each family received Rs 8 lakh and houses under rehabilitation.

Caste discrimination

The Commission cited several incidents of discrimination. In Gouthoji Guda village of Manoharabad mandal in Medak district, educated Dalit youth were socially boycotted for refusing to beat drums, a caste-based practice. Cases were registered against more than 30 people.

In Venkatapuram village of Siddipet district, Dalits were denied the right to offer Bonalu. In Narayanpet district, Dalits were denied permission to hold a marriage at a temple, and a priest who was also a government employee was suspended. In Jogulamba Gadwal district, a Dalit youth’s house was demolished because he married a non-Dalit woman. In Sangareddy district, a sarpanch demolished Dalit houses for not voting, the Commission said.

It said Village Development Committees in Nizamabad and Kamareddy districts had turned into unconstitutional bodies, and that the government was directed to dissolve them. In Gannaram village of Nizamabad district, Dalits were subjected to an undeclared social boycott, it added.

Section 41 and special courts

The Commission said it approached the Union Minister for Social Justice and the National SC/ST Commission chairman in Delhi, seeking changes to Supreme Court directions that restrict arrests in cases punishable with less than seven years. It said Section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) is being used as a pretext by police to avoid arresting accused persons in atrocity cases.

It also said the High Power Committee meeting under the Act, which must be chaired by the Chief Minister twice a year, was not held for a long time despite repeated reminders. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy eventually convened it, and the Commission thanked him.

On housing, the Commission said a special Government Order was issued to allot double-bedroom houses to 1,000 atrocity victims in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Malkajgiri police commissionerates. Nearly 500 victims have received houses so far, it said.

Recommendations

The Commission asked the government to set up a State SC/ST Vigilance and Monitoring Committee, hold district-level committee meetings every three months, and conduct Civil Rights Day in villages at the end of every month with the Tahsildar and Sub-Inspector taking part.

It said special courts currently exist only at the level of erstwhile districts, causing delays, and demanded special courts in all districts with judges assigned exclusively to these cases. It also sought strict implementation of reservation rules, regular filling of backlog posts, land for landless SCs and STs, and Rs 1 crore insurance cover for Gram Panchayat and municipal workers.