Rights group to sue Mamata govt. over Kishenji killing

Members of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights have said that they are "coordinating" with Kishenji’s family in Telangana to file a PIL.

Days after Trinamool Congress MP and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee said that his party’s government “murdered” Maoist leader Kishenji, a Kolkata-based civil rights organisation has decided to take the State government to court.

Members of the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights have said that they are “coordinating” with Kishenji’s family in Telangana to file a Public Interest Litigation petition. Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji, a Polit Bureau member of the CPI(Maoist), was killed in an alleged encounter with security forces in Paschim Medinipore district in November 2011, soon after Trinamool came to power. Civil rights activists had consistently maintained that Mr. Rao was “abducted and tortured to death in cold blood” by the State administration.

“We want Kishenji’s family members to file a case against the West Bengal government. If they are not willing to do so, we will file a PIL in the Calcutta High Court,” Mr. Sur told The Hindu.

Confirming that he was contacted by the APDR, Mr. Varavara Rao said that he is “in the process of reaching out” to the family members of Kishenji. “I have received APDR’s message today. (I) will contact (Kishenji’s) family as soon as possible,” he added. As for Mr. Abhisek Banerjee’s statement, Mr. Rao said that the TMC MP’s public statement has established that the State administration “indeed murdered” Kishenji.

Seeking to undo the damage, Education Minister Partha Chatterjee said that the MP was a young man and therefore his statement need not be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Md. Salim demanded a clarification from the Chief Minister. “Why is the Chief Minister silent on the issue? She must come clear about the case,” he told journalists on Sunday.

“In 2010, Mamata Banerjee demanded that an impartial probe be initiated into the cold blooded murder of Maoist Polit Bureau leader Azad (Cherukuri Rajkumar). Why is she not making a similar demand in relation to the killing of Kishenji?” asked Mr. Salim.According to police administration of Telangana, Azad was killed in an encounter in Adilabad district in July 2010. Lawlessness is the hallmark of TMC rule,” said BJP national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said.