ANANTAPUR: After a meeting with a delegation of CPI leaders and police officers on the issue of alleged police brutality on student union leaders here last week, Home Minister K. Jana Reddy, in Hyderabad on Thursday, promised to order probe into the alleged ragging death in a private nursing college here, transfer of Two Town circle inspector John Manohar and also probe into police `counselling'. According to the information reaching here through CPI leaders, the Home Minister had convened a meeting with its leaders -- Ch. Venkat Reddy, P. Venkat Reddy and K. Ramakrishna, IGP Administration and DIG of Police Anantapur Range N. Jayarami Reddy -- on the February 23 incidents here. The CPI leaders stated that the Home Minister had agreed to order a probe into the alleged ragging death (suicide) of private nursing college student P. Afsar Banu and action against the responsible, withdrawal of cases against 16 arrested student leaders like attempted rape and attempted murder and probe into the SP's alleged `special counselling' to the arrested students by higher officials. Besides, the Home Minister also promised to transfer the circle inspector for his alleged excesses on student leaders. The CPI leaders said they would take up an agitation again if the Government failed to keep its word. Meanwhile, nine of the 16 student union leaders lodged in the district jail at Reddypalli near here launched an indefinite fast on Thursday demanding Rs. 5 lakhs ex-gratia payment to the family of Afsar Banu and action against SP, DSP and CI responsible for the brutality against them. M. Vemaiah Yadav, B. Ramanaiah and D. Surendra Chowdary of AISF, J. Udayakumar and C. Somasekhar Reddy of SFI, K.V. Maruthi Prakash and V. Ramesh of NSUI and N. Vijaykumar and Naresh of ABVP launched the indefinite fast in the jail be refusing lunch.

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