Tribal people stage dharna near APCLC leaders’ houses

This is a drama being played by police, says APCLC leader

Girijans from Visakha agency staging a demonstration infront of the house of APCLC leader G. Raghuram in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Photo: A. Manikanta Kumar

Even as tension is palpable all over the Visakha Agency in view of the bandh called for Thursday by CPI (Maoist) in protest against killing of two of its men near Korukonda shandy on October 19, tribal people from the Agency staged dharna in front of the houses of AP Civil Liberties Committee leaders Raghuram and Annapurna in the city on Wednesday.

It may be recalled that Gemmili Sanjeeva Rao of Veeravaram village was shot dead by ‘Maoists’ and in retaliation his friends and relatives clobbered to death party’s district committee member Sharath and a militia member Palasa Ganapathi. Mr. Raghuram alleged that the dharna by tribal people was a drama organised by the police. “The tribal people were brought here by the police. When I asked them (Girijans) if they know who I am or what I do they said ‘No’. APCLC has nothing to do with the incident (at Korukonda). Maoists said the police in mufti had killed their men. The APCLC will conduct a fact-finding,” he said.

A “memorandum” handed over by tribal people to Mr. Raghuram asked him to protect them from Maoists since they had ordered them to leave the village or face the fate of Sanjeeva Rao. Later, about 200 trial people held a demonstration in front of Collectorate and submitted a memorandum to the Collector.