Date:16/10/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/10/16/stories/2004101611080400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Venue a beehive of activity

People's Guerrilla Army cadre and the police keeping a vigil outside the venue.

HYDERABAD, OCT. 15. The Marri Channa Reddy Institute of Human Resource Development at Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, which is generally a venue for training of bureaucrats and personnel, was witness to an unusual activity on Friday -- hosting the Government-naxalites peace talks. The sprawling campus located among swank houses was besieged by the police and press corps early in the morning. Inside the main building huddled were 27 personalities, including top five leaders of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Janashakti, involved in a brainstorming meeting from 10.30 a.m. till nightfall.

All for the first byte

Once they entered the building, they were unavailable for comment to media which was barred entry except for a few minutes initially for a photo session. What transpired at the meeting was a guessing game. When the People's Union of Civil Liberties president, Keshav Rao Jadhav, emerged from the meeting before its closure as he wanted to go out on a personal work, mediamen mobbed him to gather details of the proceedings. The police had a tough time escorting him to his car. He pleaded inability to speak out as he did not have the authority. When pressurised, he merely said the discussion on ceasefire agreement was going on and that the accord might be signed soon.

Vegetarian lunch

Over 200 policemen spanned out on the campus to provide security while 100 journalists of print and electronic media were spread outside the main building. The institute made arrangements for a simple vegetarian lunch for participants and scribes separately. Ministers, naxalite leaders, emissaries, mediators, the huge contingent of People's Guerilla Army and policemen participated in a common lunch in the main building.

Protest for land

A crowd from East Godavari district staged a demonstration outside the institute demanding land to landless poor. A delegation wanted to see the Janashakti State secretary, Amar, but was detained outside the campus.