Karamchedu massacre

Karamchedu massacre refers to an incident that occurred in Karamchedu, Andhra Pradesh on 17 July 1985,[1] where brutality by the Kammas against Dalits resulted in the killing of six Dalits and grievous injuries to 20 more.[2][3][4] After a long legal battle that went up to the Supreme Court, one person was given life imprisonment and 30 more were sentenced to a prison term of three years.[2][5] The initial main accused, Daggubati Chenchu Ramaiah, father of then-MLA of Parchur, Daggubati Venkateswara Rao was assassinated by Naxalites in 1989 in retaliation.[6]

History

Some landlords in that area raised cotton, tobacco and other cash crops with traditional crops to become rich in the area. They grew strong in different industries. The village landlord, Daggubati Chenchuramaiah, was a very close relative of TDP founder N. T. Rama Rao (NTR). His son, Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, was married to NTR's daughter.

Malas, Madigas, and Yerukulas were living side by side in Karamchedu. After NTR had formed the Telugu Desam Party, almost all castes joined it. Many dalits choose to remain in the Congress Party, but most Madigas decided to support the TDP as there was an Arch rivalry between Malas and Madigas (Malas had managed to dominate reservation for dalits in Andhra Pradesh). NTR's son-in-law and Chenchuramaiah's son Daggubati Venkateswara Rao contested as an MLA and got hold of power.

The Massacre: 17 July 1985

Potina Seenu and Rayineedu Prasad, took their buffaloes to the drinking water tank in Madigapalle. They fed the buffaloes with washings of rice in buckets. While they were washing the buckets in the tank, Katti Chandraiah, a Dalit boy, objected to them washing buffaloes in the drinking water[7]. They were scolding Chandraiah when Munnangi Suvaartha, a Madiga woman, came to the tank to collect water. She attacked the boys who were washing the buckets. A few local landlords were outraged, and retaliated by doing an attack on the Madigas. Duddu Moshe, Duddu Ramesh, Tella Yehoshua, Tella Moshe, Tella Muthaiah and Duddu Abraham were killed eventually. Six Dalit men were killed by the landlords' attack.[8][9][10]. A month later, the accused killed a woman who was witness to the massacre[9][11].

Aftermath

Subsequent to the massacre, the People's War Group brutally murdered the key accused Daggubati Chenchu Ramaiah, father of Venkateswara Rao. The agitations of Dalits under the banner of Dalitha Mahasabha (DMS) led by Katti Padma Rao, a radical dalit writer, made the government accept all their demands, including naming of about 150 people accused in the case.

The government announced a special package for the victims. The government provided jobs to all the family members of the victims in addition to granting agriculture land, industries, and loans. The separate Vijayanagar Colony was constructed to cool the frayed tempers of Dalits. NTR government ultimately lost power in the 1989 elections.[12]

Bojja Tharakam — a well-known poet, writer, social and political activist, and a senior human rights advocate — resigned from the High Court as a sign of protest in 1984 against the Karamchedu massacre. Kathi Padma Rao, an activist and Bojja Tharakam, established the 'Dalita Mahasabha'[9].

Court trial

The trial court in Ongole convicted 159 people to life imprisonment, which was later struck down by the Andhra Pradesh High Court. Though a special leave petition was filed in the Supreme Court on 24 October 1998, it was on 19 December 2008 — 10 years later — that a bench of the apex court, consisting of Justice B N Agarwal and Justice G S Singhvi, upheld the conviction of the trial court. However, it sentenced the main accused, Anjaiah, to life term and 29 others to three years of jail in the case. Justice (retd) M N Rao appeared on behalf of the state of Andhra Pradesh at the proceedings.

In 1994, the additional sessions judge, Guntur, had given life sentences to five accused and three years' imprisonment for several others. However, a division bench of the AP High Court set aside the conviction on 24 July 1998 and acquitted the accused.[13]

There are two cases with identical charges of conspiracy, rioting, and murder against them. The police had 94 people as the accused in their case for trial; in the other case, by the Dalits, another 70 have been named.[14]

After examining 90 witnesses from among the Dalits, the third Additional Munsif Magistrate, Chirala, M. Ramadas felt there was a prima facie case against 140 out of the 164 accused. Of them, 49 were charged with murder, and the others with rioting and unlawful assembly.[15].

In 2008, the Supreme Court of India awarded life sentence to the main accused and three years of imprisonment to 30 others[11].

gollark: If you both cooperate it's better.
gollark: `scp ./path other-thing:/home/matt/path`.
gollark: In noniterated games it is *strictly better* to defect, unless you somehow have access to your opponent's source code or whatever.
gollark: ???
gollark: No. Do you want that turned on?

See also

References
  1. http://www.unipune.ac.in/snc/cssh/HumanRights/05%20STATE%20AGRICULTURE%20FOREST%20DALITS%20AND%20TRIBALS/08.pdf
  2. "SC convicts 31 in Karamchedu Dalit massacre". The Times of India. 20 December 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  3. "Karamchedu massacre సులోచన: కరంచెడు ac చకోత మొదటి చేతి సమాచారాన్ని". Dalit Camera Youtube (in Telugu).
  4. "Karamchedu village and Karamchedu MartysPart 1". Dalit Camera Youtube (in Telugu).
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 11 March 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/ramaiah-murder-case-three-accused-acquitted/article4719328.ece
  7. "Ashok: Short history of Karamchedu violence అశోక్: కరంచెడు హింస యొక్క చిన్న చరిత్ర". Dalit Camera Youtube (in Telugu).
  8. "Round Table India - History of Karamchedu and what actually happened ?". Round Table India. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  9. "35 years after Karamchedu massacre in Andhra, Dalit activists speak on what has changed". The News Minute.
  10. "KaramChedu Violenceకి నేటితో 35 Years, ఆరోజు ఏం జరిగింది? : BBC Telugu". BBC Telugu Youtube (in Telugu).
  11. "SC convicts 31 in Karamchedu Dalit massacre".
  12. "SC convicts 31 in Karamchedu Dalit massacre - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  13. "Harijans in Karamchedu village in Andhra Pradesh fight doggedly for justice". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  14. "Harijans in Karamchedu village in Andhra Pradesh fight doggedly for justice". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  15. "Harijans in Karamchedu village in Andhra Pradesh fight doggedly for justice". indiatoday.intoday.in. Retrieved 25 March 2016.

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