The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Maoist violence: villagers question role of rights bodies

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, May 03, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Maoist violence: villagers question role of rights bodies

Staff Reporter

Are human rights only for naxalites and not for general public?

STAFF REPORTERANANTAPUR: STAFF REPORTERANANTAPUR: In a first of its kind of development for civic and human rights organisations in the district, about 100 villagers of P. Kondapuram in Ramagiri mandal of the district thronged the Law Department of Sri Krishnadevaraya University (SKU), near here on Monday, to question the objectivity of the rights movement.

The villagers came to meet the Head of the Law Department, S. Seshaiah, who is also the State general secretary of Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC), and to question him about the role of rights bodies when Maoists and other naxalites kill innocents.

The villagers were led by a relative of G. Adinarayana, sarpanch of the village who was killed by Maoist a fortnight ago, suspecting him to be a police informer, Gopal, and the sarpanch's wife, Muthyalamma.

`Why keep mum?'

However, the villagers had to return disappointed as Prof. Seshaiah was out of station.

Speaking to mediapersons, Gopal, Muthyalamma and others sought to know why rights bodies were keeping mum when naxalites killed innocents.

They raised a hue and cry even when police nab a naxal sympathiser, leave alone killing of dalam members or leaders in encounters.

Were human rights only for naxalites and not for general public, the villagers asked. Further, they said the rights bodies send fact-finding committees to probe encounter killings and suspicious murders of Dalits and tribals. Why cannot they do the same when naxalites kill innocents, they asked.

The villagers said they would come again to meet the APCLC leader.

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