The Hindu : Front Page : Alipiri attack: State drops POTA charges

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 19, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Alipiri attack: State drops POTA charges

K. Srinivas Reddy

HYDERABAD: A recent decision of the government to drop charges under provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) against the 30 persons accused of involvement in the 2003 failed assassination attempt on former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, has created a stir among police circles.

The government through an order (GOMs 355 dated December 10, 2008) asked the Police department to try the 30 accused persons under provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Explosive Substances Act instead of the POTA, which was repealed in 2004.

The abortive attempt on Mr. Chandrababu Naidu on October 1, 2003 at Alipiri was a turning point in both the State politics as well as the revolutionary movement in the country. Mr. Naidu who survived the claymore mine blasts went to polls making the Left wing extremism as an issue, but the Congress led by Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy humbled the ruling Telugu Desam at the hustings and took over the reins of power in the State.

The Rajasekhara Reddy government initiated the process of holding negotiations with the Maoists by mid-2004.

The recent withdrawal of sanction for trying the accused persons under POTA has raised quite a few eyebrows, as the POTA was in vogue when Maoist cadres carried out the Alipiri attack. The Tirumala two town police station had registered the case (crime no. 59/03) under provisions of POTA, IPC and ES Act. The investigation was done by a special team headed by IG D.T. Naik, now retired.

The withdrawal of the POTA sections from prosecution now assumes significance in the backdrop of the allegations levelled by Mr. Naidu in the recently concluded Assembly sessions that the ruling party had provided shelter to those accused in the Alipiri attack case.

However, highly placed sources said the legal department had opined that the accused persons could not be tried under provisions of the POTA, as the charge-sheet in the case was filed after the repeal of the Act.

Sources said there was no need to issue the GO technically and the Chittoor police could have filed the charge-sheet without invoking the provisions of POTA, but due to ‘some bureaucratic red tape’ the DGP’s office requested the government for permission to drop the POTA sections and the Home department had issued the GO.

Killed in encounters

Interestingly, many of the Maoist top cadres cited as conspirators had been killed in encounters. Ram Mohan Rao alias Erra Satyam, Sande Rajamouli alisa Prasad, Sudershan, Burra Chinnaiah alias Madhav had been killed by the police in different instances.

Takkalapalli Vasudeva Rao, Niranjan and Lachanna, the three members of the Central Action Team (CAT) believed to have actually participated in the daring Alipiri attack, are still at large.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page