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'Absconding' naxals: HC help sought

By Our Special Correspondent

SHIMOGA NOV. 27. Revolutionary writer of Andhra Pradesh, Varavara Rao, said here on Wednesday that the People's War had made a representation to the Chief Justice of the Madras High Court requesting him to treat it as a habeas corpus writ petition for the production of the seven naxalites, who according to the Tamil Nadu police, were absconding during the recent encounter in the Uthangkarai forests in Dharmapuri district.

Addressing a press conference, he said People's War apprehended that the seven naxalites, claimed by the police as absconding were in their "custody.''

He said that the copies of the representation made to the Madras High Court had been sent to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, the Director-General of Police, Amnesty International and the National Human Rights Commission seeking their immediate intervention.

Prof. Rao alleged that Siva who was the State leader of the People's War in Tamil Nadu, was killed in a fake encounter as he was an eyewitness to the killing of Doraisingaravelu, another State leader of the organisation, in a similar encounter.

He said that such encounters continued unabated in Andhra Pradesh despite the offer made by the People's War for negotiations. "Doors are open as far as the negotiations are concerned and the People's War and other naxalite groups expect the people to exert pressure on the Andhra Pradesh Government to come forward for talks unconditionally,'' he said.

The only condition that they put to the Government for the negotiations was that the Chandrababu Naidu Government should immediately stop encounter killings. "But the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister does not seem to be interested in holding negotiations as the encounters indicate,'' he said.

He recalled that the Andhra Pradesh Government announced a ceasefire between May 10 and June 10 under public pressure but the negotiations fell through as the police revived the encounters. He said the Andhra Pradesh Government was responsible for talks not taking place as it did not appear to be serious in bringing about the lasting peace.

Stating that saffronisation was being allowed to grow in Andhra Pradesh as the State Government wanted it to counter the naxalite activities, he said if saffronisation and globalisation were making common cause in the State, it was because there was no difference between them as both were opposed to the plural democratic secular culture. He, however, said that the Left and democratic forces in Andhra Pradesh which were keen on being self-reliant were resisting the growth of saffronisation.

Asked about the charter of demands of the naxalites to be discussed with the Government, Prof. Rao said it was not possible to make them known unless the Government arranged for talks after declaring "ceasefire.'' However, the main demands included the introduction of land reforms, stopping of the encounters, withdrawal of pending cases filed against villagers, stopping of raids on villagers and allowing of all kinds of democratic activities. He claimed that no cultural activity of any kind had taken place in the Telangana region for the last 17 years.

He alleged that about 80,000 acres of forest land in Andhra Pradesh was being taken away by the multi-national companies threatening to displace the tribal people who were living there for long.

He alleged that at least four private "armed forces,'' comprising the surrendered naxalites, were being encouraged by the Andhra Pradesh Government to counter the naxalite activities adding that such armed forces were not only illegal but unconstitutional.

Prof. Rao said several revolutionaries were killed by the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu police within Karnataka boundaries in the last 15 years with the "tacit'' approval of the Karnataka Government.

Prof. Nagari Babaiah said that the Karnataka Government was trying to safronise the entire Chikmagalur district by encouraging religious activities of the Sangh Parivar at the Datta Peetha in the Bababudanagiri hills.

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