The Hindu : CPI(M) protest turns violent

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 25, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

CPI(M) protest turns violent

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD FEB. 24. The State-wide demonstrations organised by the CPI (M) to protest against the alleged failure of the Andhra Pradesh Government in tackling the severe drought took a violent turn in Hyderabad, Anantapur and a few other places today.

Police resorted to lathicharge to disperse party activists when they tried to storm the Collectors' offices of Rangareddy, Warangal and Anantapur districts.

Hundreds of partymen were forcibly taken into custody for picketing the Collectorates in various district headquarters towns demanding a clutch of measures such as waiver of electricity dues and loans, payment of drought pension to the old, supply of fodder and opening of gruel centres.

In Warangal, a party worker, D. Srinivas, suffered serious injuries in the lathicharge and was shifted to the MGM Hospital.

Tension prevailed outside the Collector's office in Mahabubnagar when police prevented the CPI (M) supporters from gatecrashing.

The Saifabad police lathicharged the CPI (M) activists when the latter tried to force their way into the Ranga Reddy district Collectorate after staging a demonstration.

Four CPI (M) workers and five policemen sustained minor injuries in the scuffle.

About hundred activists of the CPI (M) assembled in front of the Collectorate around 11 a.m.

After picketing for about 30 minutes, the agitators demanded that the Collector come out personally to listen to their problems and receive their representation.

As there was no response, some of the demonstrators suddenly began to climb up the gate and jump inside.

Police swung into action and resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowds. In the melee that followed five policemen and four demonstrators sustained injuries. The police took into custody eight CPI (M) workers.

The police action came in for condemnation from political parties.

The CLP leader, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, said it was atrocious that the authorities should crack down so brutally against peaceful demonstrators, many of them women.

Dr. Reddy said farmers in the State were facing an unprecedented situation but the Chief Minister was responding with "publicity gimmicks'' like announcing a `drought Janmabhoomi'.

Supporting the CPI (M)'s demands, he said drinking water should be supplied through tankers to needy villages and the Food-for-work programme taken up on a war-footing to generate employment.

The CPI (M) State Committee also denounced the `high-handed' behaviour of the police leading to injuries to 100 partymen in Hyderabad and 50 in Warangal.

The party secretary, B. V. Raghavulu, in a press release, said the police in Nizamabad targeted women, hitting them with their boots.

The party's floor leader in the Assembly, N. Narsimhaiah, said the Government was refusing to exchange the food coupons for rice which were issued to agricultural labourers under the Food-for-work programme.

About 25 per cent of coupons in Nakrekal constituency in Nalgonda district, had become worthless pieces of paper as they were not honoured.

This, he said, reflected the "callous attitude'' of the Government towards the drought-hit.

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