Gurazala (Andhra Pradesh) [India], January 17 : Yuvajana Sramika Rythu (YSR) Congress Party leader Kasu Mahesh Reddy, along with others, participated in the funeral rites of party activist Manda Salman at Pinnelli village in the Gurazala Assembly constituency.
Addressing the media after meeting Salman's family at the Guntur Government Hospital mortuary, Reddy on Friday said the brutal killing of Salman exposes "villages being turned into zones of fear, hatred and political and caste-based persecution" under the coalition government.
Reddy is the former Gurazala MLA.
According to a statement issued by the party, the YSRCP leader earlier warned that any attempt to obstruct the funeral would not be tolerated, asserting that it was the police's responsibility to ensure the funeral was conducted peacefully, and cautioned that former Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy himself would intervene if any obstacles were created.
The former MLA alleged that since the coalition government came to power, Pinnelli village has witnessed mass intimidation, forcing nearly 300 families to leave their homes. He further claimed that across the Gurazala constituency, seven YSRCP workers have been brutally killed in the last 19 months.
Providing details of the incident, Kasu Mahesh Reddy said Salman, an activist belonging to the Dalit community, had been living away from the village for the past 18 months due to threats.
He was allegedly attacked when he returned to Pinnelli in an emergency to see his ailing wife. Salman slipped into a coma following the attack and died after three days of hospitalisation. He alleged that the police initially booked cases against Salman and his brother while Salman was lying unconscious, and invoked only weak sections against the accused, the party statement said.
Serious charges were added only after Salman's condition became critical, the YSRCP leader claimed, demanding the immediate suspension of the concerned Circle Inspector and Sub-Inspector, strict punishment for all those responsible, protection and rehabilitation of displaced families through peace committees, and justice and support for Salman's family.
Former minister Merugu Nagarjuna, who was also present, alleged that the coalition government had made attacks, social boycotts and caste-based persecution its "patent," particularly targeting Dalits.
He condemned attempts to stop Salman's funeral, calling it an act of extreme inhumanity.