A former BRS MLA and an IAS officer in Telangana have been booked under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly intimidating and making casteist remarks against Ibrahimpatnam Municipality chairperson Kappari Sravanthi. Sravanthi, who belongs to the Budaga Jangam Scheduled Caste, also alleged that former Ibrahimpatnam MLA from BRS Manchireddy Kishan Reddy took a bribe of Rs 2.5 crore from her to ensure her victory in the municipal chairperson elections. After winning the election, she alleged that as she was unwilling to allow municipal lands to be alienated, the MLA threatened her and abused her in the name of her caste.
Sravanthi also alleged that amid the dispute with the MLA, former Rangareddy district Collector Amoy Kumar advised her to go on leave, suggesting that it wasn’t a good idea for lowered caste persons to fight with people from dominant castes. “He said he would take action if I didn’t back off, and even sent me a showcause notice,” Sravanthi said.
Sravanthi alleged in her complaint that the former MLA and his son Prasanth Reddy took a bribe of Rs 2 crore from the vice-chairperson Akula Yadagiri so that he could replace her as the chairperson of the Ibrahimpatnam Municipality. Sravanthi claimed that she was compelled to apply for six months’ leave so that former MLA Kishan Reddy could hand over the charge to Yadagiri.
She further alleged that Amoy Kumar, who was working as the Collector at the time, summoned her and asked her to take leave, and threatened her with suspension if she was unwilling to do so. She also alleged that he made casteist remarks implying that those from lowered castes aren’t to question those from privileged caste groups.
The Rachakonda police have registered an FIR based on Sravanthi’s complaint, the Times of India reported. The case has been registered under Sections 504 (punishment for insulting someone intentionally to provoke them) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), along with relevant sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Sravanthi told the media that she had filed a complaint with the police a long time ago but no action was taken since the BRS was in power.