Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], May 30 : YSRCP State General Secretary SV Satish Kumar Reddy strongly condemned a viral incident showing three youths, two Dalits and one minority youth, being publicly thrashed by police officers in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh.
He called the incident "shocking", saying that the nation "cannot excuse" such police brutality.
Speaking to ANI on Thursday, Reddy said, "The recent incident that happened in Tenali, Andhra Pradesh, is a very shocking event. In a democratic country like India, misusing the authorities, misusing the rights, and police indulging in beating of two Dalits and one minority youth on public road. This is something that this nation cannot excuse."
Reddy accused the current Andhra Pradesh government, led by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, of targeted victimisation.
"The way the government is running here in Andhra Pradesh under the leadership of Chandra Babu Naidu, it is very evident that they are targeting people whom they want to target. They are victimising people whom they wanted to victimise. And they are clearly sending a message to the common citizens that whoever disobeys them will be treated like this," he said.
Calling for nationwide condemnation and institutional action, Reddy added, "This action has to be condemned by everybody. I want this to be taken up by the National Human Rights Commission as well as the SC Commission. My sincere request that these police officers who have indulged in this, have to be immediately suspended and they have to be imprisoned."
He also held the Chief Minister politically accountable. "A strong message has to be sent to the Chief Minister. Because I think without his advice, these people would not have done this. The ultimate motive of all this is to threaten people. Keep them under psychological fear. And in that fear these people wanted to do whatever they want," Reddy said.
Raising questions over government inaction, he asked, "What is your government doing instead of arresting these people, these police officers who have indulged in such a blatant violation of human rights? What are you doing and what sort of a message are you going to send? I want the nation to condemn this event."
Meanwhile, in a strongly worded press statement, YSRCP strongly condemned the escalating attacks and human rights violations against Dalits and minorities, enabling a culture of oppression and lawlessness across Andhra Pradesh.
According to a release, addressing the media at the central office in Tadepalli, YSRCP State General Secretary Jupudi Prabhakar highlighted a series of alleged brutal incidents that expose the state's failure to protect its most vulnerable citizens.
"The police, entrusted with upholding the law, are attacking the constitutional rights to free speech and life itself," Prabhakar demanded the immediate suspension and prosecution of officers involved in these atrocities.
In Tenali, police subjected Dalit and minority youth to brutal third-degree treatment, using casteist slurs and ignoring pleas for mercy. In Rajamahendravaram, dalit youth Puli Sagar was beaten, stripped, and humiliated in a lock-up for social media posts.
In Kantheru, Guntur, Dalit MPTC member Kalpana was arrested at midnight without dignity, and in Hyderabad, Paleti Krishnaveni faced similar persecution for online dissent. Pithapuram reports social boycotts of Dalit families, while in Kuppam, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu's constituency, Dalits have been killed. "The police, meant to uphold the law, are trampling on constitutional rights to free speech and life," Prabhakar stated.
Contrasting this with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's welfare-driven governance--marked by 32 lakh house sites, English-medium CBSE education, 17 medical colleges, and the Family Doctor initiative--the coalition government has amassed Rs. 1.5 lakh crore in debt without delivering a single welfare scheme. Prabhakar criticised their "Red Book" agenda, admitted at Mahanadu, which targets YSRCP leaders with false cases to suppress dissent. "This government's lawlessness is a betrayal of the people," he said.
The YSRCP demands the immediate suspension and prosecution of the involved police officers under the 1989 SC/ST Act and an end to vendetta politics.
"If justice is denied, we will file private cases," Prabhakar warned, urging the coalition to govern responsibly or face consequences. "The people will not forgive this oppression," he added.