Vijayawada: A 22-year-old engineering dropout student was allegedly abducted and brutally assaulted in a suspected caste-based attack in Tirupati district. The incident, which took place on May 15, has sparked widespread condemnation across Andhra Pradesh and on social media platforms.The victim, A James, a native of Reddypalem village in Nellore district, filed a complaint on May 16 alleging that he and his friend, Guru Sai Reddy, were abducted, confined, and assaulted by a group led by his junior, Yashwanth Naidu. The accused, including Yashwanth Naidu, Kiran, Jagga, Lalith, Sai Gowda, Vamsi, Rupesh, and several unidentified persons, allegedly took James and Sai Reddy from outside their hostel and held them overnight in a hotel room in Srinivasapuram and later at a private hostel. The police registered a case under various sections of the BNS for kidnapping with intent to cause grievous hurt or slavery, wrongful confinement exceeding three days, voluntarily causing grievous hurt, assault with intent to dishonour, and criminal intimidation. Additionally, provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act have been invoked, including Section 3(5).Tirupati SP told TOI that James alleged he was targeted for belonging to the SC community and claimed that caste-based slurs were used during the assault and that the attackers urinated on him and forced him to drink urine. However, SP Raju clarified that the allegation of forcing the victim to drink urine is yet to be established.According to the SP, the altercation began as a drunken brawl involving James, Sai Reddy, and Yashwanth Naidu. Later, Yashwanth and his associates reportedly abducted and assaulted James and Sai Reddy. SP confirmed that James, Sai Reddy, and Yashwanth Naidu all have pending criminal cases, several academic backlogs, and are college dropouts.
