Allampalli Kalawathi, aged 37 years, W/o Srinivasa Rao, R/o Kovvuru village, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, SC Mala by caste was elected as the Kovvuru Village Sarpanch in the Panchyatraj elections held in the month of August 2006.  Kapu (OC) is the dominant community in the village.  The dominant community in the village challenged the election of Kalawathi in the Kakinada City Civil Court.  The court has given judgment in favor of Kalawathi.  Even after the court judgment, the dominant community with the support of Anisetti Bullebbai Reddy, the local MLA (Sampara Constituency) denied her from discharging her duties.  During the distribution of government schemes including the pensions took place in the village, the sarpanch was supposed to preside over, wherein she was not allowed.  On 8^th December 2006, State Panchayat Minister JC Diwakar has come for inauguration of school building and the sarpanch thought of inaugurating the new panchayat office building, but the dominant caste elders of the village did not let this happen as she was a dalit woman.  They did not even allow the prior sarpanch to inaugurate the new building as she belonged to OBC community.  Hurt by the dominant community behavior, caste elders of dalit community decided that she should inaugurate.  At 16:00 hours Kalawathi inaugurated the new panchayat office.  After the inauguration, Kalawathi along with the ward members went to old office to get furniture, Arava Sattibabu, aged 38 years, S/o Pandurangarao, Kapu, Urava Srinivasarao, aged 45 years, S/o Ramaswamy, Kapu, Damadora Surya Prakash, aged 43 years, S/o Ramaswamy, Kapu, Urava Intobbayi, aged 50 years, S/o Ramaswamy, Kapu, Urava Anjaneyulu, aged 30 years, S/o Ramaswamy, Kapu, Pendem Krishna, aged 40 years, S/o China Darayya, Kapu attacked them.  They abused Kalawathi in the most abusive language by the name of caste saying “Mala lanjavu, nuvvente kotha officeni openchesedi”.  Then they beat her and Shesharatnam.  At 09:30 pm, Allampalli Kalawathi lodged complaint in Indrapalem police station. 

As the complaint was not registered she filed a writ petition in the High Court of Andhra Pradesh asking for the registration of case, arrest of the accused and give her necessary protection to discharge her duties.  Then SI countered saying that FIR is registered and the case is under investigation with the DSP.

Kalawathi’s husband Srinivasa Rao was former MPTC.  During his tenure he differed with the Kapu community regarding distribution of land to Dalits as they denied.  Pendem Veera Venkata Satyanarayana (Zamindar) of Kapu community played a key role in this issue against dalits.  A case was registered and Satyanarayana was sent to remand for 30 days.  Even in this incident, Anishetti Bullebbai Reddy has supported the Kapu community. 

DSS Intervention

• Stood by the victim and held a dharna
• Pressurized the police to register FIR
• Represented the case before commissions

Given victim orientation and capacitating the victim through trainings as she is people’s representative

Bhawari Devi (35) w/o Tajaram, Sri Tajaram, 39, s/o Beraram having three children belong to Sansi (SC), following Hindu ethnicity, live in a hamlet Bhaniyana under Police station Pokran in the District of Jaisalmer. The village which is 147 km away from the district town constitutes of 1 sansi family, 20 Gavariya, 3 Harijans, 3 Lohars, 10 Chaudhary, 3 Paliwal, Bhaniya 12, Sad 1, Sonar 1, Vishnoy 1, Nai 2 and Meghwal 7 families. Rajputs dominate the village. They own the hundred acres of land. The politics is their children’s game. Conversely, the Dalits have no piece of land except their little dwellings. Dalits take the responsibility to clean the village, bury and throw the dead animals. They are not at all respected by the Rajputs and other dominant caste people. Adversely Tajaram was out on his work and the victimized family is only one in the village are allotted a piece of Panchayat land in the vicinity of a private school. Taking that into consideration Bhairaram and others attacked the family. In fact the school owner Bhairaram s/o Shivadan Ram wanted to grab the land to extend the school campus. On 7.12.2006 Bhawari Devi (wife) was alone with two of her children (Padmaram, 14 and Mangilal, 9). At night around 2 a.m. the accused entered her house, molested her, ransacked and destroyed the households. Meanwhile they attempted raping her. When she opposed them, they beat her with sticks and pelted stones at her. She was injured and had to undergo medical treatment. In course of time the neighbours rang up to Tajaram who rushed to his house and informed police over a phone in the night. On the next day, when Tajaram and Bhawari Devi were on the way to the Pokaran police station to register the FIR, they first requested the Bhaniyana police out post to protect them. By the time the Bhaniyana police reached the spot, the accused had put up an old hut of theirs in the land of Tajaram. The police has registered FIR No.215/06, u/s 143, 323, 354, 379 IPC and 3(1)(x)(v) under SC/ST PoA 1989. After a few days, the Circle Officer Suresh Saini of Pokaran visited the spot. No action has been taken by the administration. No aid is provided to the family. The SP is yet to visit the spot. The accused are left scot-free and they are always threat to the family. The case is now charge sheeted. The investigating officer is the Circle Officer Suresh Saini from Pokaran police station. The survivors stay in the house of Smt. Bhawari Devi’s father in the village itself. Till today the police administration has taken no measures to protect the family. The Charge sheet is being submitted in the district court in March 2007. The accused still are left scot-free. The victims are pressurized to compromise with the case. The households are not regained still from the accused

Case in Brief:

Mutyala Anitha age 34 yrs, SC Mala by Caste, W/o Simhachalam, have been staying along with her Husband at D.No.12-11-95, PlotNo.S2, Akula Apartments, Aryapuram, Rajahmundry, East Godavari.

One day Mr.Veera Venkata Sathya Surya Bhaskar came to her house and enquired about her husband. When she said that he has gone to Vijayawada and will be returning tomorrow, he caught her hand and pulled her sari. When she denied he used filthy language saying “you Mala Munda and your idiot husband both are shameless fellows”. He manhandled her to outrage her modesty. The accused took photos of the victim in his mobile phone.

When she screamed out, their neighbor Mr.Rayudu and Watch man Mr.Raju and his family members came and witnessed the scene. Then he went away by scolding her in filthy language. Due to the insult and humiliation and out of stigma she was unable to come out of her house and mingle with others.

On 05-12-06 when her husband came back from Vijayawada, she gave a complaint to the III Town Police Station placing copies to Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rajahmundry and Superintendent of Police, Kakinada. They said that the accused is working as a typist in Principle Junior Civil Judge Court; he was already arrested in a similar case filed by his women colleague. Immediately after his release they are going to arrest him. 

When they learnt that he was on bail, they went to the III Town Police Station and enquired about him. SI took them to CI and he asked the SI to enquire the case and register the FIR. 

In spite of regular reminders the victim the police did not take any action. But the Accused have been threatening the Victim and her husband over phone and by sending men to them to withdraw the case. He is also saying that he know many officials hence, he can manage not to register the case.

Again on 28-12-06 Ms. Anitha gave another complaint to the Deputy Superintendent of Police, Rajahmundry. Along with the copy of previous complaint dated 05-12-06 and taken its acknowledgements. Now the case is pending in the court.

DSS Intervention

• FIR registered
• Accused not arrested
• Pressurized to arrest the accused
• Presented the case before commissions