The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Gadar asks Government to stop encounters

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 19, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Gadar asks Government to stop encounters

Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD: Close on the heels of his meeting the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, last week, balladeer Gadar called on the Governor, Sushil Kumar Shinde, on Monday and offered to take the initiative for resumption of peace talks with naxalites just a `day after' the Government stops encounters by the police.

Gadar was reported to have told the Governor that he would ensure that there were no killings by naxalites once the encounters stopped.

This would restore peace and ``then he will see as to why the talks should not begin,'' he told reporters later.

Mr. Shinde, who gave a patient hearing to Gadar and his drummer, Dappu Ramesh, for nearly 40 minutesreportedly assured him that he would take up the issue with the Chief Minister.

Gadar told reporters that he had suggested to the Governor to form a committee under his supervision to probe the encounter deaths.

He said he had offered to appeal to the CPI (Maoist) to stop the killings.

To another question why he was continuing peace efforts when his colleague emissaries nominated by the CPI (Maoist) — Varavara Rao and Kalyan Rao — had pulled out, Gadar said he was doing it as an artiste.

Sings at Raj Bhavan

Mr. Shinde allowed Gadar to sing for him in Marathi and Hindi. He later sang for reporters in the presence of policemen and Raj Bhavan staff.

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