Andhra Dalit Man Lynched For Allegedly Plucking Mangoes; 10 Held

Bikki Srinivas was attacked on Wednesday when he was allegedly trying to pluck fruits from an orchard.

Image used for representation.

(Photo: The Quint)

Andhra Pradesh Police has arrested 10 people in connection with alleged lynching of a Dalit in Singampalli village of East Godavari district, The New Indian Express reported on Friday, 31 May.

Thirty-year-old Bikki Srinivas of G Mamidada area was attacked on Wednesday when he was allegedly trying to pluck fruits from an orchard. However, the arrests, the report said, were made a day later on Thursday.

The accused reportedly beat Srinivas to death and hanged his body from the ceiling in the panchayat office to make it appear as a suicide, the report said.

Kadiyam Nageswara Rao and M Ramakrishna, lessees of the mango orchard, are among those arrested, Ch V Rama Rao, Peddapuram DSP, told the New Indian Express.

Seven staffers of the Panchayat Department have also been booked under the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

On 30 May, tension simmered as some Dalit organisations held demonstrations at the Government General Hospital in Kakinada and threatened with protests at the Collectorate with the body of Srinivas, the report said.

According to the report, the district administration has announced an ex gratia of Rs 4.25 lakh for the victim’s family.

(With inputs from The New Indian Express)