APCLC leader dares police to file cases

By Our Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD, DEC. 3. The president of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC), Ms. Ratnamala, has asked the police and the State Government to go ahead and file cases against its leaders, for their charges against the latter, in the wake of the killing of Purshottam.

Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Ms. Ratnamala said it was a welcome sign that the police and the State Government were examining the scope to file cases against APCLC leaders for their outburst against the police in connection with the brutal murder of Purshottam in Hyderabad. She said the Government and the police had realised the respect for judiciary.

Senior police officials, after arresting four former naxalites had said that they were examining the charges levelled against the police by the APCLC activists and initiate action. She said the human rights activists for the last three decades had been demanding that the Government pay the same attention to those who were still missing and tortured in police custody.

She questioned the motive of the police in shifting the body of Purshottam from the scene of the incident hastily. She pointed out that even though the wife of Purshottam objected to the hasty removal of the body, the police without caring for completion of the judicial formality shifted the body. She said this was nothing but encouraging the people to take law into their hands and instigating violence.

Earlier, speaking at the 7th conference of the APCLC district unit, Ms. Ratnamala said the proposed annual State-level conference of APCLC would be held as per schedule at Anantapur on December 9 and 10.

Referring to the murder of Purshottam, she said there was a change in the tactic this time, compared to the killing of earlier civil liberties activists. She said whenever there were some incidents, the police targeted the human rights activists as had happened in the case of Ramanadham, Japa Laxma Reddy, Narra Prabhakar and Gopi Rajanna. But this time, the murder of Purshottam was planned. She said the slain leader had survived two bids on his life in the last few years.

Ms. Ratnamala, said exhorted all sections of the people to unitedly fight for their rights and protest against its violation. She also contested the charge made by the Telugu Desam Party leaders that only their party was being targeted about the encounter killings when such incidents had taken place in the earlier regimes of various political parties. She alleged that the TDP Government was encouraging `criminal culture' among the men in uniform. The police personnel participating in anti- extremist operations were being rewarded with auxiliary promotions which did not take place earlier. The conference also demanded a judicial enquiry into the killing of Purshottam and alleged nexus between police and criminals in the murder.

The new body of the district unit was also elected with Mr. V. Sangam and Mr. V.Bhaskar, as president and general secretary. The other office-bearers are: Srihari Acharya and M. Nageswara Rao, (vice-presidents), Ms. Meena Sahni and Mr. P. Lingam (joint secretaries) and K. Ravi (treasurer).

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Row over check-dam
Next     : Naval might on display