Noted academic and writer Kancha Ilaiah was detained and sent back to Hyderabad by the local police shortly before he was to participate in the State conference of the Goat and Sheep Rearers Association here on Sunday.
Utter chaos prevailed in front of the CPI(M) district office when the police whisked Mr Ilaiah away in a vehicle amid vain bid by activists of various constituent organisations of the Telangana Mass and Social Organisations Forum (T MASS) to resist police action.
The incident drew sharp criticism from Mr Ilaiah and a host of leaders representing various mass organisations, who described it as an attempt by the State to “gag” freedom of expression. However, police sources claimed that Mr Ilaiah was sent back to Hyderabad with police escort to avert any “law and order” issue. The police cited the instances of protests staged by the Arya Vysya JAC over the book penned by Mr Ilaiah on the Vysya community in recent months.
Mr Ilaiah had camped at the CPI (M)'s district office after his arrival in the town from the State capital earlier in the day.
Soon a posse of police personnel had arrived at that locality in a bid to prevent him from proceeding to the Pavilion Grounds, venue of the Goat and Sheep Rearers Conference.
Talking to media persons at Sundaraiah Bhavan earlier in the day, Mr Ilaiah said he had come here to participate in the deliberations of the State conference of the Goat and Sheep Rearers Association and articulate his views on the welfare of impoverished members of the community.
The conference was not meant to discuss politics but deliberate on the issues concerning shepherds with focus on the implementation of the sheep distribution scheme.
“I am a writer, academic, social reformer and an adviser to the Goat and Sheep Rearers Association. The issue over my book has been resolved and the Supreme Court has refused to ban it,” he said.
“When I am acting within the constitutional framework to exercise my freedom of expression, why are the police infringing on my fundamental rights?” he asked, saying the Telangana government owed an explanation in this regard. “AP govt. barred me from participating in a meeting in Oct. and now the Telangana govt., for the first time, imposed curbs on me,” he said.
