Amalapuram violence just a tip of anti-Dalit sentiment in Andhra’s Konaseema

Fondly called the Kerala of Andhra Pradesh, Konaseema – the district over whose re-christening as Dr BR Ambedkar-Konaseema an irate mob torched the house of a minister on Tuesday – is a lush region by the coast, known for its distinct culture and dialect.

The fertile belt of Konaseema that was once a part of the East Godavari district, lies between the Godavari river system and the Bay of Bengal. Amalapuram, the epicentre of Tuesday’s violence, is a reserved Lok Sabha (SC) constituency where Dalits are sizeable and vocal. Here, an invisible tension is always palpable between a few upper castes and Dalits as reserving the Lok Sabha constituency for Dalits has robbed some rich social groups of their chance to enter Parliament. The Amalapuram constituency was once represented by former Lok Sabha speaker GMC Balayogi.

Watch: Protests over renaming town after Dr Ambedkar rocks Andhra town

As per the 2011 Census, the district has 314 inhabited villages and one un-inhabited village. The total population is 17.19 lakh and the geographical area is 2081 sq. km. The district also flaunts a literacy rate of 79.17 per cent, way above the state average of 67.02 per cent. The population of Scheduled Castes is 4.27 lakh and that of Scheduled Tribes is 0.13 lakh.

Konaseema is home to a few rich communities and entrepreneurs. The Dalits were a highly educated community and visible in all fields. The present clash over the name is not simple opposition to renaming the district after Dr Ambedkar. It is a symptom of deeply entrenched antagonism between assertive Dalits and their opponents. The renaming of the district has served as a spark.

As part of the reorganisation of the 13 districts of the state into 26 districts (District Reorganisation Act, 2022) on April 4, Chief Minister Jaganmohan Reddy’s government carved the Konaseema district from the earlier East Godavari district. On May 18, issuing a preliminary notification to rename the Konaseema district as the Dr BR Ambedkar-Konaseema district, the government invited objections and suggestions from the public. A final notification is expected after 30 days. When Chief Minister Reddy visited the district last week, the Dalit organisation exerted pressure to name the district after Dr BR Ambedkar. Preliminary notice was issued in a couple of days.

Also read: Section 144 imposed in Andhra’s Amalapuram after protesters set minister’s house on fire

Chief Minister Jagan’s advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy said the decision to rename Konaseema as Dr BR Ambedkar–Konaseema district was taken in the wake of demands from various organisations and considering the aspirations of the people. He recalled how all the political parties extended support to the move.

Condemning the violence on Tuesday, Sajjala said Ambedkar was a great leader and the state government doesn’t have any political interest in naming a district after him. He said the vested interests of some people were responsible for the violence and the issue would be sorted out soon.

Alleging that the Amalapuram violence was intentionally flared up, Home Minister Taneti Anita suspected the role of TDP and Janasena behind the disturbances. She said the decision to rename the district after Ambedkar had the backing of local people and only a small group of troublemakers were trying to foment disturbances in the area.

Opposition leader and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu condemned the violence in Amalapuram. Urging the people to be restrained, Naidu said police were responsible for the violence as they could not anticipate and contain it.

Actor turned politician and Janasena leader Pawan Kalyan also condemned the violence while BJP rubbished allegations of the saffron party backing the agitation. State BJP president Somu Veerraju blamed the Jagan government for the trouble. “The state government has failed in controlling the violence in Amalapuram,” he said.

APCC president Dr Sailajanath said that naming Konaseema and Kurnool districts after BR Ambedkar and Damodaram Sanjeevaiah has been a demand of the people for decades. “YSRC government has mishandled the whole issue giving an opportunity to casteist elements to exploit the situation. Ultimately, what happened was an insult to the architect of the Indian Constitution,” he said.

DGP Rajendranath Reddy said the situation though tense is under control.

“When there was no objection to naming districts after NTR, Alluri Sitaramaraju, and Satya Sai why should one oppose Dr BR Ambedkar’s name. It is a sheer anti-Dalit tendency,” a Dalit leader who insisted on anonymity alleged.

The May 24 violence

On Tuesday, a violent clash broke out in Amalapuram when thousands of protesters tried to barge into the district collector’s complex protesting the against the government’s decision to rename Konaseema.

The clash led to the torching of houses of transport minister and local MLA Pinipe Viswaroop and another YSRCP MLA  from Mummadivaram P Satish.

Opposing the change of name, thousands of protesters under the aegis of Konaseema Sadhana Samiti, Konaseema Udyama Samiti, and Konaseema Parirakshana Samiti planned a ‘Chalo Collectorate’ march in Amalapuram, headquarters of the new district.

But hell-bent on thwarting the attempt, the police imposed sections 30 and 144, and shops were closed.

The original plan of the protesters was to present a memorandum to the collector on Monday. But, as the police refused permission, those opposed to the change of name decided to organize a ‘Chalo Collectorate’ rally on Tuesday.

But, the preventive steps taken by the police proved ineffective by midday as the protesters started gathering in thousands. And in no time they overpowered the police. Surprised at the sudden swelling of the crowds the police tried to stop them with ropes on the way to the collector’s office. ‘Kotta peru vaddu, Pata pere muddu’ (No new name, the old name is beautiful) slogans rented the air. As more people started joining the rally from all corners of the town as if it was planned well in advance, the police resorted to lathi-charge to quell the mob. However, protesters responded with stone-pelting. Then police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the protesters. They even fired a few rounds into the air. As per some unconfirmed reports as many as 20 people including police personnel sustained injuries in the clash.

According to police, District Superintendent of Police P K Subbareddy and Amalapuram DSP Madhavareddy were also injured in the stone-pelting.  Though police could stop protesters from entering the collectorate complex, they, however, spread across the town and started attacking the RTC buses. Two RTC buses and a private bus were set on fire.

A group of protesters ransacked the houses of minister Viswaroop and MLA P Satish. They barged into the house of the minister in Bank Colony, and demolished the furniture, and escort vehicles before setting the house ablaze. Similarly, another violent mob torched the house of MLA Satish in the Housing Board colony. Sources said the minister was shifted by the police as they anticipated trouble following the clash at Collectorate Complex.