Reaction to acquittal guarded in Kambalapalli

Reaction to acquittal guarded in Kambalapalli

Parvathi Menon

What can one man do, asks witness who turned hostile

HELPLESS: M. Venkatrayappa, who lost four of his family members in the killing of Dalits at Kambalapalli, reacting to the verdict on Wednesday. — Photo: K. Gopinathan

Kambalapalli: "What can one man do? They have given all the witnesses money," said M. Venkatrayappa, whose wife Ramakka, sons Sriramappa and Anjaneya and daughter Papamma were among the eight Dalits who were burnt to death in Kambalapalli village in Kolar district in March 2000. He was the first prosecution witness among the 40 who turned hostile during the court hearings on the case, leading to the acquittal of all the 32 accused.

"I changed my version in court to save my children and because the wives of the accused begged me to help get their menfolk acquitted," S. Gangulappa, second prosecution witness, told The Hindu.

Kolar district has had a history of caste conflicts that led six years ago to the killing of eight Dalits of a family in a case of caste revenge in Kambalapalli, believed to have been in retaliation to the murder of Krishnappa Reddy, a village functionary belonging to the "upper castes."

The reaction to the acquittal was guarded in the village. On a hot afternoon two days after the judgment, the streets were quiet with its working population in the fields and the acquitted away at a function in a nearby village.

A young Dalit man, reluctant to talk or give his name, said he was happy about the news of the acquittal. "There are no differences among us," he said, under the watchful eyes of a group of village residents.

Meanwhile, Maddu Reddy and Venkata Reddy, the two prime accused, along with the others acquitted were being feted by their supporters in a nearby village. Although they were clearly in a jubilant mood, they chose not to appear upbeat.

"There is nothing to celebrate about," said Krishna Reddy. "My father died while I was in jail. I am a contractor... how should I live now?" he asked.

The village, according to them, has not celebrated any function since the event as at least two or three persons from each house was in jail under non-bailable arrest.

No sense of fear

In `mini'-Kambalapalli, a village nearly 40 km away where 66 Dalit families related to the victims were relocated following the killings, the mood is different. There is no immediate sense of fear. "They can't do anything to us here," said Venkatrayappa.

The Dalits were given houses by the then Congress Government soon after the incident. Their village has broad roads, street lights, a primary school and a community hall — a far cry from the cramped and deprived conditions under which they lived in Kambalapalli.

The families were also promised two acres of agricultural land each. As many as 44 families have been given one acre and 10 guntas of land. The rest are yet to get their share.

Behind the legal proceedings are a complex set of political factors at work with different parties backing different caste interests. "We know that the Reddys have the support of the present Government. The Dalit Sangharsh Samiti has also compromised and we feel let down," said B. Jagadeesh, a B.Ed student in `mini'-Kambalapalli.

"We are scared of being evicted again," he added.

http://www.hindu.com/2006/12/07/stories/2006120719310100.htm