Dalit youth kidnapped in Tirupati, brutally beaten and ransom threats – accused is former MLA’s driver, made a video and sent it to his father!
Dalit youth Pawan Kumar kidnapped and brutally beaten, accused demanded ransom and threatened to kill; close aide of former YSRCP MLA involved
Published on: 08 Aug 2025, 3:28 pm
Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) – A serious case of caste-based violence has come to light from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh. A Dalit youth was kidnapped and beaten up here. People close to senior YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) leader and former MLA Bhummana Karunakar Reddy are alleged to be involved in this incident.
According to the police , the victim, Pawan Kumar, a resident of Pulichalla village and belonging to the Mala (Scheduled Caste) community, was targeted by Anil Reddy and his accomplice Dinesh on Wednesday. Anil Reddy is the personal driver of former MLA Bhummana Karunakar Reddy and has six criminal cases registered against him.
It is alleged that both the accused locked Pawan in a room and beat him badly with sticks and made a video of the entire incident. This video was then sent to Pawan’s father Neelam Jayaraju, which the police is considering as an act of intimidation.
The victim’s mother said that the accused called her husband and demanded a ransom of Rs 5 lakh. She said, “They threatened that if the money is not given, they will sell the son’s kidney and send his dead body.”
According to initial reports, the incident took place when the accused Bhummana Karunakar Reddy was present in the office. His son Abhinay Reddy is also said to be present at the time.
Tirupati East DSP Bhakta Vatsalam confirmed the incident and said that Anil Reddy and Dinesh were involved in the incident. Anil has been arrested, and after questioning him, another accused Jaggareddy alias Jagadeesh was also taken into custody. Anil also runs a bike rental business called ‘SVB Bike Riders and Rentals’.
Though the dispute started over a rented motorcycle, according to police, the matter soon turned violent due to caste hatred and political influence.
Pawan was released after the assault. Police say the search for other absconding accused is on.
Reacting to the incident, state minister Angani Satya Prasad said, “We will not tolerate any kind of hooliganism in the state. Even in Pulivendula, people are now turning to TDP as they are fed up with such acts. Such incidents are not acceptable at holy places like Tirumala and Tirupati. We will not take this lightly, strict action will be taken.”
There is anger among Dalit organizations and social activists regarding this incident. They are demanding strict action against the accused and an end to political protection.
