Hyderabad – A chilling case of caste-based violence against the Scheduled Caste (Madiga) community has emerged from Etla Erravelly Village in Shabad Mandal, Ranga Reddy District, prompting a legal rights body to demand urgent intervention from the district administration. Ambedkarite advocate and founder director of LawPilot Foundation, Dr. B. Karthik Navayan , has formally approached the District Collector and District Magistrate of Ranga Reddy District, seeking mandatory preventive measures, statutory compensation, and immediate enforcement of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995.

The incident, which took place on April 13, has been registered as FIR No. 145/2026 at Shabad Police Station, and involves criminal intimidation, physical assault, and deliberate destruction of property, specifically mobile phones, aimed at preventing the victims from accessing government-allotted house plots in Survey No. 142.

According to the representation submitted by Dr. Navayan, the attack was not an isolated act of violence but a targeted effort to deny members of the Madiga community their lawful entitlement to housing plots provided by the government. The lawyer stressed that the district administration is bound by statutory duties under the SC/ST PoA Rules, 1995, which mandate immediate preventive action. These include a spot inspection by the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police under Rule 6 to assess the extent of the atrocity and damage to property.

The foundation has also demanded that Etla Erravelly be formally identified as an “atrocity prone area” under Rule 3, given the clear apprehension of recurring offences against the community. Under Rule 12(3), intensive police patrolling must be deployed by the Superintendent of Police to ensure the safety of victims and witnesses, while arms licenses of the accused and their associates in the identified area should be cancelled and weapons deposited in the government armoury as a precautionary measure under Rule 3(iii).

On the question of relief and compensation, the foundation has invoked the revised scales under G.O.Ms. No. 95, Social Welfare (CV.POA) Dept., dated August 29, 2016. For the humiliation and caste-based abuse suffered in public view, which falls under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC/ST Act, each victim is entitled to one lakh rupees. The payment schedule under the revised norms mandates that 25 percent of this relief be paid at the FIR stage itself, 50 percent upon filing of the charge sheet in court, and the remaining 25 percent upon conviction.

Additionally, the foundation has demanded that the government bear the full cost of replacing essential items destroyed during the attack, including mobile phones and clothing, and that immediate relief in the form of food, water, clothing, and medical aid be provided to the victims and their families under Rule 12(4).

The LawPilot Foundation has urged the District Collector to direct the Social Welfare Department to immediately disburse the FIR-stage compensation without delay. It has also called for the appointment of a Special Officer, not below the rank of Additional District Magistrate, to coordinate the implementation of all protection measures and ensure that the victims are granted peaceful possession and protection of the house plots in Survey No. 142.