The Special Court in Asifabad all set to deliver its verdict in the gangrape and murder of a 30-year-old street vendor on January 30 and her family is demanding the death penalty.
"We strongly believe that court will give justice to us as it heard the case thoroughly in last two months," Samata’s* husband said, while adding, "those three should be given death penalty, as they tortured and killed her."
On November 24, days before Hyderabad veterinarian Disha* was gangraped and murdered, a woman hawker, 30-year-old Samata hailing from Nirmal's Khanapur area was also gangraped and murdered allegedly by three men in Lingala mandal of Asifabad district.
Investigating officials had arrested three men, Shaik Babu (35), Shaik Shaboddin (30) and Shaik Makdum (40) and booked them for murder, gangrape and relevant sections of the SC and ST Prevention of Atrocities Act on November 25.
The victim is from the Budagajangam community (Scheduled Caste), which is among the most marginalised in Telangana, even among Dalits.
Protests also erupted in Asifabad and parts of erstwhile Adilabad following the Samata case. Madiga Reservation Porata Samiti (MRPS) led by Manda Krishna Madiga had protested stating that the government had ignored delivering justice to the victim since she belonged to the Dalit community.
Following widespread protests from Dalit organisations who alleged bias by the government, political parties and media, the Telangana government set up a special court in Adilabad in December 2019, where the trial began.
The verdict, which was scheduled to be delivered by the court earlier this week, was postponed to January 30.
Speaking to TNM, Sathyanarayana DySP Asifabad and Investigation Officer in the case said, "We have submitted required evidence material and produced around 25 witnesses before the court, we are believe that court will give death punishment as the case is 100% proved."
Following the incident, the Telangana government has offered Samata’s husband a job as an attendant at the state-run Social Welfare Hostel.
*Names changed