THE reported custodial death of Sai Krishna in Vijayawada has barely faded from public memory, yet another death of a youth has raised fresh questions over the treatment of Dalits and other marginalised communities in Andhra Pradesh. Cheekati Gopi, a Dalit youth from Guntur district, was reportedly taken into police custody in connection with a theft case and later found dead. The back-to-back incidents have triggered concerns among Dalit and tribal organisations over police accountability, custodial practices and the protection of vulnerable communities under the state government.

CUSTODIAL DEATHS RAISE QUESTIONS OVER POLICE CONDUCT

Family members said that police beat Divya Teja to death in custody in Prakasam district. The incident reportedly occurred under the jurisdiction of Ronangivaram police station in Panguluru mandal. Teja, who was reportedly taken to the police station for questioning, did not return home. His body was later found in agricultural fields near Kondamuru.

According to his family, Teja, a native of Allemadugu Sangham village of Nellore district, had gone out with his friend Pathapati Sashikanth on the night of August 29. In the early hours of August 30, Ronangivaram police reportedly detained both men on suspicion of loitering. While Sashikanth was released, Teja did not return home.

Teja's mother, Salomi, said police assaulted her son in custody and later dumped his body in the fields in an attempt to conceal the incident. After repeated enquiries failed to establish his whereabouts, the family lodged a missing-person complaint and approached the High Court.

On September 3, police informed the family that an unidentified body had been found in fields near Kondamuru and asked them to identify it. The family subsequently confirmed that the body was that of Teja.

His sister, Srinidhi, said she became suspicious when the sub-inspector appeared nervous during her visit to the police station to enquire about her brother. She said Teja had been supporting his two young children by driving an autorickshaw following the death of his wife and added that the family had been treated unfairly because they belonged to the Scheduled Tribe community.

Darsi DSP Balamuralikrishna said a comprehensive investigation into Teja's death was under way and rejected the family's claims as baseless. According to him, on the night of August 29, police noticed a person moving suspiciously who attempted to flee on seeing them. A chase followed, during which another person escaped. Police later found an unidentified body in the Kondamuru fields on the September 3, and the investigation established that it was Teja, the DSP said.

The death of Cheekati Gopi, a Dalit youth from Ponnekallu village in Tadikonda mandal of Guntur district, has similarly triggered demands for an independent investigation. Gopi was reportedly taken into custody in connection with a theft case and later died.

Kula Vivaksha Porata Sangam (KVPS) Andhra Pradesh state General Secretary Andra Malyadri said Gopi was severely beaten while being questioned at Tadikonda police station. Communist Party of India (Marxist) and KVPS leaders who met Gopi's family demanded an independent inquiry and comprehensive assistance for the family.

CPI(M) Guntur District Secretary Y. Netaji said, according to the family, Gopi died following a police assault. He said the family had depended entirely on Gopi's income from driving an autorickshaw and that his death had left his two children without their principal source of livelihood.

Netaji questioned the propriety of police personnel investigating complaints against their own colleagues, comparing the process to "a thief investigating another thief". He demanded an independent inquiry, three cents of land and a house for the family, a government job for Gopi's wife and financial assistance for the children's education.

DALIT ORGANISATIONS DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY

The deaths have prompted wider concerns over the implementation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and the treatment of Dalits and other marginalised communities in the state.

Figures presented at the State-level Vigilance and Monitoring Committee meeting chaired by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu on September 5, showed that around 7,500 cases were registered under the Act between 2023 and 2026, while 7,930 cases were pending before courts in 2024. Dalit organisations have expressed concern over delays in disposing of cases and the difficulties faced by victims in securing justice.

CPI(M) State Secretary V. Srinivasa Rao expressed concern over what he described as an increase in attacks against Dalits in the state during the past six months. Along with KVPS representatives, he visited the families of Mekala Ramesh of Dondapadu in Thullur mandal and Cheekati Gopi.

Dalit organisations, including KVPS, demanded compensation of Rs.25 lakh each for the families of Ramesh and Gopi. Srinivasa Rao also questioned the handling of the investigation into complaints against Tadikonda police. Referring to the appointment of the Medikonduru CI as investigating officer in a case involving the Tadikonda CI, he questioned whether an officer of the same rank could impartially investigate another police officer. He also asked how the DSP could state that Gopi died of fever before the investigation had been completed or the post-mortem report received.

Dalit and tribal organisations subsequently staged a protest in front of the Guntur District Collectorate, demanding a judicial inquiry into Gopi's death and legal action against police personnel responsible for the circumstances leading to it.

CPI(M) State Secretary V. Srinivasa Rao said a death in police custody required a thorough and independent investigation and criticised what he described as a lack of response from senior police officials, the Home Minister and public representatives.

CPI(M) Central Committee member D. Ramadevi later demanded an impartial investigation into Gopi's death, legal action against police personnel found responsible and registration of a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act if the claims were established.

GROWING PROTESTS OVER TREATMENT OF MARGINALISED COMMUNITIES

The protests have extended beyond the custodial death cases, with Left and Dalit organisations raising concerns over unemployment, police action and discrimination against marginalised communities.

Leaders criticised the filing of cases against a coaching centre in Kakinada in connection with an unemployment protest and questioned why only 1,600 of the 20,000 sanctioned police constable posts were being filled. They also condemned the detention of Students' Federation of India (SFI) and Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists and the filing of what they described as false cases during the protest.

Andra Malyadri criticised incidents of violence against Dalits and referred to the demolition of houses belonging to a particular social group in Payakaraopeta in Anakapalli district on August 15 and a social boycott of Dalits in Pithapuram.

CPI(M) State Secretariat member Ch. Babu Rao said Dalits lacked adequate protection in the constituencies of Home Minister Anitha, Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and Minister Lokesh. He criticised what he described as increasing attacks on weaker sections and said some police stations were becoming centres of death.

The organisations also protested against the reported obstruction of the "Chalo Panguluru" programme, organised to demand permission to construct an arch for a B.R. Ambedkar statue in Panguluru village. Malyadri questioned why authorities would prevent the unveiling of a statue that, according to the organisers, had been purchased through community contributions.

In another case, Chintachellu, an eyewitness from Guntur, said she was subjected to caste-based abuse following a dispute involving Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader Nellore Raja and was subsequently implicated in a village theft case and severely assaulted. All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) leaders warned that they would intensify their agitation if cases were not registered against those responsible. They said the government had failed to respond even after 20 days.

QUESTIONS OVER GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Civil society organisations have also questioned the response of the state government and police officials to the reported custodial death of Sai Krishna. They said authorities responded only after his mother approached the High Court.

According to a report attributed to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), digital evidence connected with the custodial death case was tampered with or had disappeared. The findings have intensified demands for accountability and an impartial investigation.

The organisations said that even after a month, the government had reportedly not taken visible steps towards prosecuting those responsible in these cases. They said authorities responded only after mass protests, demonstrations or judicial intervention.

They questioned whether the response to the deaths of Dalit and tribal youths had been adequate and demanded greater accountability, independent investigations and timely action. They maintained that families should not have to resort to prolonged protests or judicial intervention merely to secure an investigation into deaths occurring in suspicious circumstances.

Dalit and tribal organisations said they would continue their protests until action was taken and justice was secured for the affected families.