The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : People's War trains guns on two SPs

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jun 10, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

People's War trains guns on two SPs

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, JUNE 9. The east division committee of the CPI (ML-People's War) has criticised the Superintendents of Police of Visakhapatnam and East Godavari for their "bogus'' method of surrender of PW activists.

The naxalite group also alleged that the Project Officer of the Integrated Tribal Development Agency at Paderu, S.A.M. Rizvi, was resorting to despotic methods while dealing with the lower level staff.

For the last two years the SPs of the two districts had been threatening the tribals and creating terror by resorting to combing operations, effecting arrests and other acts, the secretary of the east division committee of the PW, Jagadish, said in a statement sent to the reporters in agency area.

He alleged that the SP of Visakhapatnam, Sanjay Kumar Jain, was repeating the method he adopted in Nizamabad when he worked as the Officer on Special Duty in the past. Mr. Jain was responsible for the deaths of police informers, who were his own creation, the PW leader said.

He also said that the politicians and village heads who helped in surrenders and those helping the police had been questioned by the PW during the one week publicity campaign conducted from June 1 to 7.

On the Government's invitation to the PW for talks, Mr. Jagadish wondered how the Chief Minister and the Home Minister could ask the PW to show restraint while the campaign against the organisation was going on through pamphlets, posters, cultural troupes and bogus surrenders. The encounter at Nalgonda would make the PW doubt the Government's sincerity about talks, he said.

There was also a possibility of the police resorting to raids in villages in the guise of extending help to tribals suffering with malaria. Hence all the anti-PW campaign should be stopped, Mr. Jagadish demanded.

On the style of functioning of Mr. Rizvi, the PW leader alleged that the official had suspended or dismissed several lower level employees and taken other disciplinary action.

The PW was of the opinion that the higher-level officials were responsible for corruption and action against corruption must start from the top level. Some methods should be evolved to make the lower level staff understand their faults, the PW leader added.

He repeated the warning issued to Mr. Rizvi in the past to change his attitude and style of functioning.

Mr. Jagadish said the huge funds spent by the ITDA over the years had not brought any change for the good and the money was pocketed by the officials, politicians and contractors. To cover up their activities the officials were victimising the lower level staff. The PW leader asked the lower level employees to get united to fight this situation.

Organises meetings

The PW organised public meetings at Boosiputtu village in Munchingput mandal on Tuesday, according to reports reaching here.

About a dozen naxalites came to the village and conducted the meeting. They asked the Government not to encourage surrenders and concentrate on development of the State.

Early this week, the PW conducted a bigger meeting at the Darakonda shandy in G.K. Veedhi mandal, its strong-hold in the agency area.

The meeting was held for several hours from 1 p.m. on Tuesday, according to reporters reaching here.

Two Forest Guards were reportedly summoned by the PW men and were warned not to collect bribes from the tribals.

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