The Hindu : Front Page : Four injured as police open fire

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Tuesday, Jan 30, 2007
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Four injured as police open fire

Staff Reporter

CPI(M) workers go on rampage after firing; 15 policemen hurt

KHAMMAM: Four persons received bullet injuries when the police opened fire on CPI(M) workers protesting against the construction of Polavaram project in Bhadrachalam on Monday.

The police claimed that at least 15 constables were hurt in the stone-throwing that preceded the firing. Some 20 persons, including Bhadrachalam MP Midiam Babu Rao, were rounded up.

The CPI (M) workers, enraged with the police firing, went on rampage and destroyed a forest check-post, near the Godavari bridge centre in the temple town. The party called for observing a bandh in the tribal pockets of Bhadrachalam and Palvancha divisions on Tuesday. Though the injured persons were out of danger, the situation continued to be tense and prohibitory orders were imposed under section 144.

Khammam Collector Sashibushan Kumar ordered a magisterial enquiry into the police firing. ITDA Project Officer Jyothi Budha Prakash will conduct the probe. The Collector visited the policemen who were injured in the stone-pelting. Ten of the injured policemen were shifted to District Headquarters Hospital. Additional Superintendent of Police M. Rameshbabu was also hurt.

Trouble began as the CPI (M) workers who laid a siege to the office of the Sub-Collector, attempted storming inside defying the police cordon. The police plunged into action and dispersed the protesters by resorting to lathicharge. The protesters gathered once again at the bridge centre and staged a rasta roko disrupting the vehicular traffic on the main road.

Police forces led by Additional Superintendent of Police, who sought to clear the traffic, surrounded the protesters. They arrested Dr. Midiam Babu Rao and other party leaders spearheading the protest. As they were shifted to the police station, the party workers vent their ire by resorting to stone-throwing targeting the police. The Additional Superintendent of Police managed to escape into the forest check-post while his gunmen and some of the sub-inspectors were injured in the stone- throwing.

The police lobbed teargas shells in a bid to chase the irate mob. As the situation was out of control, they opened fire on the protesters.

One Kunja Narasimha Rao, a resident of Madhavaraopet village of Dummugudem mandal, received a bullet injury on his left leg. Three others-- Madakam Narayana, Macha Pullaiah and Srinivasa Chary-- were also hurt in the firing. All the four are, however, out of danger. They were taken to Area Hospital.

Condemned

Hyderabad Special Correspondent writes: The State CPI(M), the Andhra Pradesh Girijan Sangham and the AP Agricultural Workers' Association, meanwhile, condemned the firing and police lathicharge on the `peaceful demonstration' by tribals.

B.V. Raghavulu, CPI(M) secretary, alleged the police action of first arresting leaders of the demonstration and beating them mercilessly indicated the deliberate planned atrocity.

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