Hyderabad: In yet another twist to the case of two Dalit youths — Lakshman and Rajeswar, who were thrashed and abused by former BJP leader Bharat Reddy, they now retracted their most recent version saying that they had acted in a film. They said that they made the earlier statement under duress and that the incident was a real one. They were humiliated, forced to wade into a swamp and made to drink water from it by Bharat Reddy.

The two had claimed yesterday that they were not abducted by Bharat Reddy and that they had only acted in a short film named Dorala Rajyam (Feudal Rule) for which they were paid Rs 20,000 each.

The incident, which was widely reported, occurred in Abhangapatnam village of Navipet mandal in Nizamabad district. It was alleged that Lakshman and Rajeshwar had opposed Bharat Reddy while he was trying to illegally quarry coarse sand from the village.

A furious Bharat Reddy, it was reported, thrashed and pushed them into a small swamp and made them drink dirty water from it. The whole incident was captured on a cell phone and the video went viral. Subsequently, Dalit organisations launched a stir demanding action against Bharat Reddy. A case under SC, ST Atrocity Act has been registered against the accused.

Reddy has gone underground ever since the video of his act went viral. According to Dalit organisations, both Lakshman and Rajeshwar too had gone missing. They suspect that Bharat Reddy may have kidnapped them. However, their latest version puts the whole incident in an entirely different light and is being probed by the authorities.