CM blasted for justifying firing in Hyderabad

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, AUG. 29. Mr Asaduddin Owaisi, MIM, made a blistering attack on the police for yesterday's firing in the city resulting in deaths and on the Chief Minister, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, for justifying the firing on the ground that the victim, Balaswamy, was a rowdy-sheeter at Sattenapalli.

Participating in the debate on the issue in the Assembly on Tuesday, the MIM floor leader questioned the City police chief, Mr S. R. Sukumara, who was present in the officers' box, on the propriety of opening fire directly on the agitators in the first place and on the forehead of Balaswamy instead of aiming at the lower parts of the body as provided under the rules.

He said the Chief Minister's assertion earlier that Balaswamy was a rowdy-sheeter appeared to indicate that he was killed at point blank range just because he was a rowdy-sheeter. If that was the case, there existed no difference between the police and rowdy- sheeters. Taken for granted that Balaswamy was a real rowdy- sheeter, should he be killed like that? Did the rule of law justify it?, he asked.

Referring to the Basheerbagh incidents, he said there were many Telugu Sena workers among the crowds and they, being hand-in- glove with the police, caused "multiple fractures" to almost all the leaders. He asked the top brass of the police not to shoulder the responsibility of a political party, and instead, discharge their responsibility with impartiality.

He dubbed the coming to power of Mr Naidu as a "statistical wonder" and took to task Mr Naidu for his attempt to attribute motives to the agitation by Congress and Left parties against power tariff hike, linking it to extremists. The stir was popularly backed and the Chief Minister was trying to suppress the "real voice of people". He said Mr Naidu stuck to "ego" though many avenues were there to solve the problem and urged rollback of power tariff hike.

Mr N. Narasimhaiah, CPI(M) floor leader, joined Mr Owaisi in demanding a judicial probe into the incidents by a sitting judge of the High Court and an ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakhs each to the families of the deceased. Agitations in streets were not new in a democracy, he said, referring to NTR who staged a dharna right on Tank Bund. He said the media brought Mr Naidu to power and the same media spoke today against the Basheerbagh firing which reminded one of Jallianwallah Bagh. The Chief Minister should stick to the advice of the media, he added.

Mr Narsimhaiah alleged that the Chief Minister was out to `mortgage' the State to the World Bank and the Left parties would not keep quiet.

Mr K. Harishwar Reddy, TD, complained about the noise and trouble created "day and night" disturbing the families of other MLAs during the fasting by Congress and Left legislators at Old MLA Quarters and sought a ban on such kind of activity in the premises. To this, Dr Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, CLP leader, tendered apology saying some families belonging to TD members even extended cooperation.

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