Telangana

OU Dalit student leader faces death threats over derogatory comments from fake FB profile

Written by : Charan Teja

In an alarming incident, a Dalit student leader from Osmania University is allegedly facing a barrage of death threats, all because another person created a fake account in his name and posted some outrageous comments against certain communities.

Sharat Naliganti, from Osmania University, has been allegedly receiving death threats from several people after a person called Mandhumula Sudhakar created a fake Facebook account under the name "Sharath chamar naliganti". Following this, he posted some objectionable comments from the fake account against certain communities on Thursday night around 9.20pm.

After the post was put up, it attracted severe criticism from several people on Facebook with calls for Sharat to face them directly.

Speaking to TNM, Sharat Naliganti said, "Following that post from the fake account, ‘ABVP’ and its allied groups created ruckus at a seminar which was organised in Nizam College of Osmania University, with shouts of “Call out that Sharat, we will beat him up”.

“Many are also threatening me and asking me to step out of the campus so that they can attack me", he claimed.

Osmania university police have registered a case based on Sharat Naliganti's complaint.

The student leader said, "This is all happening because I have supported Prof Kancha Ilaiah in the wake of protests over his book 'Komatollu- Societal Smugglers', and organised a rally in support of the Professor."

He added, "This is just to silence our voices. If they are mature enough, they should come for a civilised debate, instead of making abusive remarks against one’s mothers and sisters. This won't stop us from supporting Ilaiah."

He said that attacks from ABVP are not new for him on the campus as they began in 2014. “However, these things cannot stop me from standing up for freedom of expression", he asserted.

The student leader had contested in the assembly elections of 2014 from Amberpet constituency, against state BJP leader Kishan Reddy.

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