The Hindu : Parties' plea on bindover cases

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 21, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Parties' plea on bindover cases

By Our Staff Reporter

CUDDAPAH, MARCH 20. Telugu Desam and Congress leaders on Saturday deplored the binding over cases being booked against persons who had no cases on them and also demanded removal of the cash deposit and two guarantors stipulated in such cases.

Speaking at a meeting with political parties on the law and order problems, the former Kamalapuram MLAs -- M.V. Mysoora Reddy, G. Veerasiva Reddy -- and the district TDP president, K. Sivananda Reddy, the former Proddatur MLA, N. Varadarajulu Reddy, and the DCC president, Shaik Hussain, demanded that persons involved in 30 types of poll offences identified by the district administration and those obstructing the poll process be bound over, but not on account of general cases booked in police stations.

The Superintendent of Police, V.C. Sajjanar, replied that those involved in factional attacks were being bound over. When the Collector, Jayesh Ranjan, read out the number of persons bound over and those who committed poll offences since the 1994 elections, Mr. Veerasiva Reddy suggested confiscation of properties and pattadar passbooks of bound over persons who committed poll offences. Mr. Sivananda Reddy termed it improper to bind over persons taking village factions into account.

The Collector said hard decisions were inevitable to ensure incident-free elections and that incidents of the past did not recur. He warned of stern action against poll offenders and that their family members would be taken to task, if the accused absconded.

The CPI(M) district secretary, B. Narayana, and the CITU general secretary, N. Ravisankar Reddy, decried the binding over of CPI(M) and Congress functionaries, who were not involved in any cases. The BJP district secretary, V.V. Chalapathi, sought enhanced security measures in polling stations, where polling was completed by 10 a.m. in previous elections.

The CPI district secretary, G. Obulesu, sought posting of non-local policemen near polling stations and three mobile squads in each mandal to check rigging.

The former Mydukur MLA, S. Raghurami Reddy, alleged that some Government officials and employees were canvassing for the Congress and the TDP and demanded their suspension or transfer from the

district.

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Andhra Pradesh