The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : BC panel members gheraoed

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 12, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

BC panel members gheraoed

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, APRIL 11. The visit of State Backward Classes Commission here today was marred by protests. About 10 ABVP activists were arrested when they tried to barge into the hall in which the Commission was holding a meeting.

The ABVP activists reached the meeting venue and started raising slogans against the State Government and the Commission protesting against reservation proposed for Muslims.

Lathicharged

The police lathicharged the activists led by Vijaykumar and Ravindra Reddy. They were forced out of the meeting hall and arrested. Tense moments prevailed when the participants of the meeting tried to clash with the ABVP men.

Meanwhile, AISF activists gheraoed the Commission Chairman, D. Subrahmanyam, and other members in protest against the reduction in the number of BC scholarships.

The BC Employees' Association led by Nagaraju raised slogans outside the meeting hall asking the Commission to go back if it had come purely on the issue of reservation to Muslims. In that case, the Commission would be doing injustice to other BCs, he said.

The Puttaswamy Commission had, in fact, identified BCs but no welfare programmes were being proposed for them, Mr. Nagaraju said.

Muslims' version

A majority of the Muslim community representatives said that five per cent reservation would help their development socially and economically. They appealed to the Commission to implement reservation at least from the coming academic year. Several representatives explained the plight of poor Muslim men and women due to illiteracy. They would be found in every petty work in the society, the speakers noted.

The Commission members, N. Laxminarayana, A. Subba Rao, V. Krishnamohan Rao and the District BC Welfare Officer, Srinivasa Reddy, were present.

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