Date:03/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/03/stories/2005050302500500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Revolutionary writers, artistes seek release of activists

Special Correspondent

`Number of raids up since Maoist blast in Ongole'

Arresting issue: The naxal emissaries Gaddar, G. Kalyan Rao and Varavara Rao meeting the Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, in Hyderabad on Monday. Photo: Satish H

HYDERABAD: A delegation of revolutionary writers and civil rights activists met the Home Minister, K. Jana Reddy, on Monday and demanded that the police stop indiscriminate arrests and harassment of writers/artistes in Prakasam district.

Members of the delegation, including Varavar Rao, G. Kalyan Rao, Gaddar, Ratnamala, Jwalamukhi, Dappu Ramesh and Padma Kumari, submitted a petition to Mr. Reddy seeking the immediate release of those arrested.

Later talking to reporters, Mr. Kalyan Rao, said the police were conducting raids on "people's organisations" in the wake of the CPI (Maoist) attack on the Prakasam district Superintendent of Police. They had arrested seven persons -- Virasam's district convenor, Pinnika Srinivas, its State executive member, Sajje Venkateswarlu, the APCLC joint secretary, G. Venkata Rao, the executive members, Kanakaiah, Keshav Rao and P. Koteswara Rao, and the former sarpanch, Sambaiah.

"Keshav Rao and Koteswara Rao were taken into custody when we were with Mr. Jana Reddy," Mr. Kalyan Rao said. Stating that the whereabouts of those arrested were not known, the delegation demanded that they should be immediately released and harassment stopped.

The delegation also charged the police with coercing those arrested to resign from their organisations. Mr. Varavara Rao said the police had arrested Kumaraswamy, alias Madhu, a technical staff member of CPI (Maoist) and B. Durgaprasad, mistaking him to be the Warangal district RSU president. He said the whereabouts of Kumaraswamy were not known since March 10.

Padmakumari, another civil liberties activist, said the police had rejected permission to unveil a martyrs' memorial on May 4 at Subhashnagar near Alwal on the city outskirts.