Bhaskar Basava & Bhavani Etikala
On April 16, while repairing a motor at the house of a dominant caste member Velisetti Jalla Babu, Pallapu Suresh Babu, who belongs to the Mala community (Scheduled Castes), was electrocuted in Mallam village of Andhra Pradesh’s Pithapuram constituency. He was declared dead en route to the hospital.
Grieving his sudden death, the Dalit community rallied together, calling for compensation to support his surviving wife and two young children. But the mobilisation triggered a backlash from the Kapu community to which Velisetti Jalla Babu belongs.
They initiated a social boycott against the Dalits in an act of collective punishment.
Other Backwards Classes (OBC) groups in the village imitated the Kapu community, classified under Other Castes (OC), and refused to provide services to the Mala community members. Not just denying them access, residents of the village were instructed not to accept goods or services from people of the Mala community.
According to activists and initial reports, Jalla Babu, the Kapu farmer, agreed to pay a compensation of ₹2,75,000 to Suresh Babu’s family with the police as the mediators. On April 18, he was supposed to pay ₹75,000 and promised to pay the remaining two lakhs over the next two months. However, when politically and socially influential elders of the Kapu community learned that Babu had agreed to pay the compensation, they were displeased.
An elected member to the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituencies (MPTC) from the village, who belongs to Kapu caste spoke to Maktoob on condition of anonymity and claimed that the boycott was an “individual decision” by community members, not a collective one taken by the entire village (other backward and upper castes).
“The amount they demanded was neither feasible nor reasonable. It was unfair to demand compensation from Jalla Babu. He is a farmer with two daughters to marry off,” the MPTC said, adding that many in the Kapu community feared that this would set a “dangerous precedent”.
“This might lead to similar demands in the future. Even in cases when the members of their community (Dalits) might be at fault and die, “the MPTC said.
This decision of socially boycotting Dalits was kept a secret between the dominant caste and the backwards caste groups. Since Kapus owned most of the local businesses, the consequences were both immediate and suffocating.
On April 20, Alapati Chandra Rao, a 50-year-old dalit in the village, went to the nearby tea stall, his usual spot for a cup of chai. But the stall owner refused to serve him and replied, “Kapu Peddholu” (Kapu community elders) instructed local businessmen to not serve anyone from the Mala community”, Chandra Rao said.
When he returned to his neighbourhood, he saw community members gathered for a chat under a tree. They all had similar complaints.
“It was Sunday. People usually go shopping for groceries, grooming, etc, but we were humiliated by the local businessmen.”
“I went to the market area with fish worth ₹5,000 for the Sunday market, like I always do, setting up beside the roadside to sell,” said Suri Babu, a fish seller from the (SC) Mala community from the village. “But two men from the Kapu community were blocking people; they weren’t letting anyone come near me. After a while, I came to know about social ostracism in the village against my community members. I had no choice but to throw all the fish into the drain,” Suri Babu, along with Chandra Rao and others, told R TV, a regional Telugu channel, in his interview.
“In the beginning, no one from our community understood the reason behind the social boycott, until we approached our community leaders,” Banda Jayababu, a member of the dalit community, said.
K. Simhachalam, District Secretary of the erstwhile East Godavari districts for the Kula Vivaksha Porata Samithi (KVPS), an anti-caste group affiliated with CPI (M), said, “The Kapu community made a collective decision to ‘teach a lesson’ to the Dalits for their unity and demand for justice”
“Unfortunately, instead of viewing the dalit man’s death from humanitarian grounds, the caste leaders in the village viewed the matter through a caste lens. They decided to resist the growing unity among the Dalit community and assert their power. In retaliation, they used their social and political power to intimidate the marginalised community and discourage them from raising their demands by boycotting them. This is a serious, punishable offence under the law,” Simhachalam said.
No FIR filed
In response, the Dalits approached the police, seeking action. However, the police had not yet registered a First Information Report (FIR) under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
When asked about the matter, CI G. Srinivas told Maktoob that the police, revenue and the social welfare department had constituted a peace resolution committee, consisting of six representatives from each side, to resolve the issue amicably.
When asked if an FIR had been registered, he confirmed that there was an FIR regarding the death of the individual. However, he stated that no FIR had been filed under the SC/ST Atrocities Act. He claimed that the situation was only a matter of discussion between the two communities, and the issue had been resolved.
Jesu Ratna Kumar, a retired judge from Andhra Pradesh, questioned the legitimacy of the peace committee formed in response to such a serious cognizable offence.
“Who has the authority to appoint a peace committee in a case like this? There is no provision in law for it, and it holds no legal sanctity,” he said. “The police and authorities are duty-bound to register the case immediately. Only after that, if necessary to ease tensions, a peace committee can be formed, but not as a substitute for legal action.”
He further warned that in this case, “Encouraging such peace committees sets a dangerous precedent. Will they commit an offence and simply appoint a peace committee to escape accountability? This approach legally compromises justice for Dalits.”
Though the immediate tension appears to have been diffused, perhaps deliberately, to prevent it from making headlines, many fear uncertainty over their work and business.
Political influence of Kapu community
The divide and discrimination between the Kapus, a forward caste, and the Mala community is not new in the region.
Mallam village is predominantly dominated by the Kapu community. According to local estimates, in the panchayat, out of a total population of nearly 10,000, only around 1,000 belong to the Mala community. The remaining residents are predominantly from the Kapu caste, followed by Other Backwards Classes.
The village being currently led by an SC Sarpanch, Datla Suribabu, the Dalit community still facing mass ostracism.
“Given the numerical dominance of the Kapus, winning any local election without their electoral or financial backing is nearly impossible. As a result, candidates, regardless of their caste, often find themselves operating under the influence of the dominant caste leadership, sidelining the interests of the Dalit community,” said Banda Jayababu.
This is not an isolated case of caste atrocity. About two years ago, in the same village, 150 men reportedly from the Kapu community who were associated with different political parties stormed into the houses of Dalits with weapons and assaulted them physically and verbally. This included an MPTC member of the then-ruling YSRC Party.
The incident was allegedly triggered after Dalits demanded an apology for the insults directed at Dr BR Ambedkar.
After a Dalit individual from Mallam sought the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) intervention, NCSC sought a report from the East Godavari district police. A detailed report was submitted to NCSC two years after the incident on November 6, 2024.
According to the report, “During the birth anniversary celebrations of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Mallam village, a member of the Dalit community (name withheld as requested) posted about the event on their Instagram status. In response, an individual from the Kapu community (name also withheld) commented on the post in a derogatory manner. However, the issue was initially resolved amicably with the intervention of village elders, after the individual from the Kapu community publicly apologised. Subsequently, on the night of April 29, 2022, during the Vanuvulamma Jathara, a local festival in the village, tensions resurfaced.”
A violent altercation broke out between members of both communities. It is reported that members of the Kapu community launched a mass attack on the SC colony.
Armed with deadly weapons, they allegedly used excessive force against male and female members of the SC community, causing physical injuries. The victims were reportedly subjected to verbal abuse, including caste-based slurs and humiliation.
Further in the brief details, it notes that a group of men physically assaulted the complainant, beating him and ransacking his household, damaging articles, breaking the fencing, and creating a state of panic. When the complainant attempted to intervene, he was thrown to the ground, verbally abused with caste slurs, and one of the attackers allegedly pulled his private parts, causing a bleeding injury. Others continued to kick and beat him with their hands and feet, dragging him along the ground and inflicting multiple injuries.
Several SC women were also assaulted, with their blouses torn, saris pulled, and hands forcefully placed on their chests. The attackers also threatened them with dire consequences, instilling fear of death.
According to G.S. Bhaskarcharyulu, who is representing the case for the SC community in the matter, said that two FIRs have been registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the cases are currently pending trial before the Special Judge Court at Rajamahendravaram. All twenty-nine accused from the Kapu community are presently out on bail. A counter case was also registered against three members of the SC community, based on a complaint filed by an individual from the Kapu community.
“Deputy Chief Minister must intervene”
Mallam falls under the Pithapuram constituency, which is represented by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, who also belongs to the Kapu Community. Pawan Kalyan is an actor-turned-politician who leads the Jana Sena Party (JSP) and was elected from the Pithapuram constituency in the 2024 Andhra Pradesh general elections.
Duvva Sesha Babji, the CPI(M) District Leader for the erstwhile East Godavari, demanded that, since this is the constituency of the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, and the individuals involved belong to his community, he must take decisive action against those responsible for these acts of injustice, and ease the tensions between the two communities.
He further urged the state to implement the insurance scheme for unorganised sector workers, stating that doing so would set a clear precedent and send a strong message about how such incidents should be addressed across the state.
