Cops get life for Dalit woman's death in lock-up

Vijayawada, Aug 17 (UNI) The Mahila Sessions Court this evening sentenced six people, including a former women police station sub inspector and three constables, to life imprisonment in the 1999 Dalit Woman Lock-up Death Case.

Delivering the judgement in a packed courtroom, Judge V Appa Rao also imposed a fine of Rs 9,000 each on SI Jyothi Rayudu, Constables Santoshamma, Raghava Rani and Ragini and Vijayawada Municipal Corporation Drivers Venkateswara Rao and Ranga Rao.

However, the judge acquitted Narasimha Rao, friend of Venkateswara Rao, for lack of evidence.The convicts were shifted to district jail here.

The case was Venkateswara Rao lodged a complaint with the mahila police station stating his daughter had been missing from September one, 1999.

On September four, the SI and constables brought Kona Krishna Kumari, a Dalit woman, to the police station suspecting her involvement in the case.

The next day, Kumari died in the lock up. Her body bore serious injuries allegedly from severe beating by the accused, the prosecution said.

Earlier, the government set up a committee headed by Mr Justice Rangarajan to probe the case.

The CID also registered cases against the SI and three constables after the incident and filed the charge sheet in the mahila court.

UNI