Seven held over 'purification' ritual near KCR's Siddipet farmhouse

Seven people have been arrested in connection with a 'purification' ritual carried out with turmeric water at Varadarajapur, near Bharat Rashtra Samithi president K. Chandrasekhar Rao's farmhouse at Erravelly in Siddipet district, Telangana.

Siddipet police said a case has been registered at Markook Police Station under relevant sections of the SCs/STs (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and other laws. The case followed a complaint from representatives of the Congress SC wing, who alleged that the ritual, performed on September 8, insulted Dalits.

After examining photographs, videos and other evidence, investigators identified 15 people as involved in the incident. Seven of them were arrested in Vijayawada, in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, on September 14, police said. The arrested persons were produced before a court at Gajwel, which sent them to judicial remand. A police release said efforts were on to trace and apprehend the remaining accused.

The ritual took place alongside a protest held near the farmhouse on September 8 by Congress workers and Dalit activists. The demonstration was against alleged derogatory remarks by BRS MLC Tata Madhusudhan targeting Assembly Speaker Gaddam Prasad Kumar, made after BRS legislators were stopped by police at the Assembly gate on September 7.

Madhusudhan has denied making the remarks. The controversy nonetheless triggered a political row, with ruling Congress MLAs and others criticising him and the BRS.