YSR demands judicial probe

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, AUG. 29. The Leader of the Opposition, Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has demanded a judicial enquiry by a sitting High Court Judge into police firing in Hyderabad on Monday and payment of ex-gratia of Rs. 5 lakhs each to the next of kin of the victims of the firing and Rs. 10,000 each to the injured.

Initiating the discussion in the Assembly on Monday's violent incidents in Hyderabad, Dr. Reddy insisted that the enquiry should be conducted by a sitting High Court judge and not by those who are on the ``favoured list'' of the Government. If the Government resorted to the latter, it would amount to diluting the judicial process, he added.

Amid interruptions from the treasury benches, he said it was a ``black day'' in the history of the State and the country when people were denied their democratic right to protest. The time- tested method of controlling the crowds by first canecharging them, making use of teargas shells and rubber bullets was given a short shrift. Police began firing at the surging crowds indiscriminately, without any provocation. A private TV channel had clearly shown this.

In this firing, he first said four persons were killed -- Satyanarayana Murthy (CPI(M)), V. V. Reddy (CITU), Balaswamy and Ramulu. He then changed the figure to five, when his party colleagues prompted him. He denied the City Police Commissioner's charge that the protesters snatched away a rifle and fired resulting in policemen being injured. ``The policemen were injured in the crossfire.''

No one was spared in the ``indiscriminate lathicharge,'' he said. The Congress MLA, Mr. D. Nagender, had just stepped forward to save workers from lathicharge but he was beaten up injuring his head and hand. A rubber bullet got stuck in the eye of Mr. P. Sudhakar Reddy, President of the AP Youth Congress. The State CPI(M) secretary, Mr. B. V. Raghavulu, received lathi blows. The State CPI secretary, Mr. Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy, the CPI (ML) MLA, Mr. G. Narsaiah, and others merely sat on the ground but they were bundled and taken to a police station and had not been released so far. A case of attempt to murder was booked against them but no murder case was made out against the policemen who killed the five persons.

Dr. Reddy alleged that the police brutality was extended to Old MLA Quarters where they were calling off the fast. Policemen suddenly trooped in without the permission of the Speaker, attacked workers with steel rods, burst teargas shells and then went on the rampage damaging the cars of the legislators. All this showed that the Government had no faith in democracy and was insensitive to public opinion.

He said it was unfortunate that even after all the mayhem and bloodshed, the Government remained adamant refusing to rollback the power tariff hike. ``People are now caught between the natural and man-made calamities,'' he observed.

The BJP floor leader, Mr. N. Indrasena Reddy, said it was sad that the political parties were unable to check the involvement of unsocial elements in demonstrations. The police too, far from being restrained often overreacted. There was need for reviewing their mob-controlling tactics, if necessary through a special training. He too wondered why rubber bullets were not used.

He said both ruling party and Opposition parties often deviated from attending to the core issue. When they mediated in resolving the crises arising out of the indefinite fast by Congress and CPI(M) legislators, both parties adamantly stuck to their respective stands.

The Chief Minister, Mr. N. Chandrababu Naidu, immediately got up and alleged that Mr. Reddy was trying to do a balancing act, by not speaking the truth. It was not the Government's stand but that of the agitating Congress legislators attitude which was unyielding.

Interrupting Mr. Naidu, the Congress member, Mr. D. Nagender, made threatening remarks against the ruling party members leading to noisy protests from them. He was forced to withdraw these remarks later.

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Section  : Southern States
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