The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Fishermen boycott magisterial probe

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Fishermen boycott magisterial probe

Staff Reporter

They seek preference in jobs to firing-injured

VISAKHAPATNAM: Fishermen on Tuesday boycotted magisterial probe into March 27 police firing at Gangavaram.

Though some fishermen went to the Collectorate, they did not depose before District Revenue Officer S. Satyanarayana. Shouting slogans to press for judicial probe, fishermen led by Gangavaram Matsakarula Aikya Vedika leaders Ch. Rajeswara Rao, Gurumurthy and others boycotted the proceedings.

Four policemen and Sekhar Mohanty, a resident of Gangavaram, turned up. The DRO has decided to visit Gangavaram as part of probe on Thursday.

Telugu Desam Party urban district president Zaheer Ahmad and CPI district secretary J.V. Satyanarayana Murthy later presented a memorandum to District Collector Anil Kumar Singhal.

They told the Collector that the fishermen had no faith in magisterial probe into the firing, in which a fisherman was shot dead, and demanded institution of a judicial inquiry.

Compensation sought

They also sought payment of compensation to 161 fishermen and political activists injured in the violence that rocked Gangavaram village. Regretting failure of the administration in extending ex gratia to the injured persons, they said the injured should also be given preference in recruitments conducted by the port.

The police had opened fire when the villagers were getting ready to stall port construction work demanding construction of a fishing jetty at Nallamaramma Patalu and payment of compensation to the eligible families as per rehabilitation and resettlement policy.

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