Tributes paid to Basheerbagh firing victims

The Congress, CPI, CPI (M) , CPI (ML) leaders and others assembled at the Martyrs memorial installed at the Basheerbagh Crossroads, where the firing had taken place in 2000.

KHAMMAM, TELANGANA: 28/08/2014 : Sattenapalli Manga paying tributes to her husband Sattenapalli Ramakrishna, one of the agitators those killed in police firing on anti-power tariff protesters at Basheerbagh in Hyderabad nearly 14 years ago, in Khammam on Thursday. PHOTO: G_N_RAO

Leaders of various political parties belonging to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh paid rich tributes to the victims of the police firing on mob that was protesting hike in the power tariff in year 2000.

Leaders belonging to the Congress, CPI, CPI (M) , CPI (ML) and others assembled at the Martyrs memorial installed at the Basheerbagh Crossroads, where the firing had taken place in 2000. They paid floral tributes to the victims. CPI (M) leader B.V. Raghavulu, CPI State Secretary K. Narayana, Telangana and A.P. Congress Committee presidents N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and N. Raghuveera Reddy respectively participated in the programme.

Congress Legislature Party leader K. Jana Reddy said Congress, which rode to power in 2004 had implemented the free power and thus paid rich tributes to the sacrifices of the people, who died in police firing.

Former PCC chief Ponnala Lakshmaiah said that last year the peak demand for power touched 182 million units a day. “After formation of Telangana farm sector has been completely neglected. In the last 15 months government failed to ensure power generation and neither did it enter into PPAs. There is urgent need to issue a white paper on power sector,” Mr. Lakshmaiah said.

Three protesters died in firing when they were marching towards the State Assembly demanding that the then TDP Government withdraw the power tariff hike.