The government and the police were responsible for the killing of Ganti Prasadam, president of Martyrs’ Friends and Relatives Association and the vice-president of Revolutionary Democratic Front, in Nellore on Thursday, said leaders of people’s organisations, human rights activists and revolutionary writers, here on Friday. Prasadam had no enemies and only the government had a reason to eliminate him since Prasadam was travelling across India and working among people to awaken them, RDF’s joint secretary G.N. Saibaba said at a press conference.
Selfless man
Prasadam could work anywhere and on any issue and had also taken up agrarian issues and would work openly among the people to create revolutionary awareness and go underground when necessary, Prof. Saibaba said. Prasadam was the central committee member of CPI (ML) Party Unity which later merged with CPI (Maoist) and went underground. After he was released from a lengthy detention after his arrest in Aurangabad, Prasadam had come out into the open and worked with many people’s organisations.
Prof. Saibaba demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting or retired High Court judge into the murder of Prasadam.
Human rights activist G. Haragopal recalled Prasadam’s concern for Girijans and his humane nature when he wanted the voiceless Girijans released first and not him or other leaders in exchange of then Malkangiri Collector Vineel Krishina. When the Girijans were not released, Prasadam went on a fast in the Bhubaneswar jail and got about 200 of them released.
Prasadam’s killing was murder of humanity. He was concerned about the people and wanted to help them, but was eliminated, said Prof. Haragopal.
Virasam’s Chalasani Prasad recalled his 40 years’ association with Prasadam and his work among the people in Bobbili area where he was worshipped like a god. He alleged that the police in mufti had killed him.
General secretary of RDF Raj Kishore alleged that the government goondas killed Prasadam to create a fear among those working against injustice and atrocities and for a new democratic order. He was certain that the people would make the government pay for killing people like Prasadam.
At another press conference, Mr. Chalasani Prasad, T. Sreerama Murthy of ACLC, P.V. Ramana of Anti-Privatisation Committee, K. Venkata Ramana of Dalita Hakkula Samakhya, K. Padma of Mahila Chetana, Ganesh Panda of AIFTU, Kondayya of CPI (ML-New Democracy), M. Venkateswarlu of IFTU, S. Ramana of Dalita Vimukti, Ravi of Slum-dwellers Association, Venkata Lakshmi of POW and JV Ratnam condemned Prasadam’s murder and sought a judicial inquiry into the killing.
