VIJAYAWADA: Tension prevailed at the Ranga Bomma Centre near Victoria Museum on M.G. Road here on Saturday, as family members of slain policemen and activists of the A.P Civil Liberties Committee entered into a wordy duel over the “fake encounters” by the police and activities of the Maoists.
Tempers ran high between the two groups on the sidelines of a meeting on fake encounters organised by the APCLC and other rights groups at Makineni Basavapunnaiah Vignana Kendram.
Members of the Retired Police Officers’ Association, Kapu Association, and Madiga Reservation Porata Samithi (MRPS) took out a rally and staged a dharna at the Ranga Bomma Centre when the APCLC meeting was under way and alleged that Naxalites were creating bloodshed in the State.
Mild tension prevailed when the Amaraveerula Bandhu Mitrula Committee, the APCLC, and family members of slain police personnel entered into an argument for a while.
Para-military forces and city police were deployed at the centre to control the situation.
Banners with slogans such as ‘Maavi Pranale’, ‘Amayaka Polisulni Champoddu’, ‘Maa Kutumbalaki Nyayam Cheyali’ were erected at many places on Bandar Road (M.G. Road).
The organisers also displayed a banner containing details of the slain police personnel in the Maoist-affected States in the last few years.
“Many police families were left to fend for themselves after their breadwinners were killed in landmine blasts and firings. We don’t have enmity with the extremists. But Naxalites are killing us,” said a Police Officers’ Association leader.
Telugu Desam Party district vice-president Karuna Kumari, MRPS leader B. Kishore, State Kapu Association president G. Gowtham, and Retired Police Officers’ Association member Satyanarayana participated.
