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Within just two weeks
two social activists have been killed by the self styled or proclaimed killer
gangs called Narsa Cobras and Nallamalla Cobras in Mahaboobnagar and Prakasam
districts of Andhra Pradesh. On 25th August 2005, Mr. Kanaka Chari, a teacher
who has been active and associated with Patriotic Democratic movement and one of
its state Executive Members was killed by cutting his throat with a sharp
weapon. He was first kidnapped on the way to the school and brutally
assassinated by the so called Narsa Cobras. On 10 September 2005 Mannem Devi
Prasad, who is the district president of Kulanirmulana Porata Samithi (K.N.P.S —
anti-caste organisation) and an employee of a cooperative bank in Singarayakonda
branch was attacked with sickles in the office and killed him on the spot. The
miscreants left a note of warning that all supporters or sympathisers of the
Maoists will be eliminated in similar fashion. Further they warned that against
their mandate if anybody dares to attend or participate in the memorial or
condolence meetings of the diseased will be attacked and killed. The warning
letters symbolically are written with blood.
The killer gangs
while claiming responsibility for the murders have issued press statements
listing out their future targets and names of activists associated with the
several mass and democratic organisations in the state. The so called Cobras are
continuously making phone calls and threatening the activists with dire
consequences to their life and limb. Almost death warrants are being issued to
the leaders of democratic organisations in general and the APCLC (Andhra Pradesh
Civil Liberties Committee) in particular. Mr. L.Veeranna, an engineer working in
Warangal was threatened by an unidentifi-ed person that unless he resigns from
the APCLC his dead body will be dispatched to his home. Similarly Mr.Anil Kumar,
the district President of Prakasam district was harassed and threatened to
disassociate immediately from the APCLC otherwise his life will end like that of
Mannem Prasad. Mr. Jayabalanna joint secretary for Mahaboob Nagar district is
being terrorised by the Narsa Cobras to leave his native place and be silent. If
he fails to oblige the mandate he too would be killed as Purushottam and Ajam
Ali were killed in Hyderabad and Nalgonda by the Nayeem gang in November 2000
and February 2001. Every day the so called Cobras are making phone calls and
threatening the activist to abstain from their activity and openly announce
their resignations. In fact these death warrants are intended to terrorise the
organisers and their family members. Till date about fifty activists have
received death warrants. On the one hand the police are continuously making mis-propaganda
against the civil Rights and other mass organisations as frontal organisations
of the Maoist Party and on the other hand the so called killer gangs are
targeting the members as the sympathisers and supporters of the Maoists. It is
quite obvious that the police and the killer gangs are operating hand in glove.
The statements of the
DGP and Home Minister are ambivalent. The DGP, while commenting on the emergence
of various Cobras as a natural consequence to Naxalite violence and that all the
killer gangs are formed either by former Naxalites or the victims of naxalite
violence. Unmindful of his dignity and status the DGP responds to the media that
police are not like snake charmers to catch or control the Cobras or make them
dance according to their wishes. The Home minister made a public statement that
the government has taken the matter very seriously and Special Investigation
teams have been constituted to arrest the alleged Cobras. However, so far there
are no clues about the gangs and arrests. The harassment is continuing and
threats and death warrants are being regularly received by the members of the
APCLC and other mass organisations.
BACK GROUND
The killing and
harassment of activists by the state sponsored criminal gangs is not a new
phenomenon in Andhra Pradesh. In the past Putushottan and Ajam Ali, prominant
members of the APCLC were killed by the Nayumuddin gang. Before these murders,
Belli Lalitha a popular singer in the Telangana region and the convener of a
cultural team was brutally murdered by the same gang. It is from 1997 the police
began to organise the former naxalites and criminals to counter the militants in
the villages as a part of its counter- insurgency operations. Since then the
police officers in Telangana districts have sponsored killer gangs and supported
them with funds and arms. These gangs operated with names like Kranti Sena(Army)
or Jana Sena. Latter they changed their names from sena’s to tigers. It was the
Green tigers which made an attempt to kill the balled singer GADDAR. For the
last six or seven years the public and the press is familiar with all colours of
tigers. Soon after the attempt on Chandrababu life near Alipiri at Tirumala the
self styled Tirumala Tigers emerged and began to harass the activists in
Tirupati and other districts of Rayalaseema region. Now the Cobras have been
formed affixing the name of an adjacent forest area (like Nallamala) which the
Naxalites use.
Ever since the ban
was imposed on the Maoist Party and six other mass organisations the police have
been very enthusiastic to use the A.P.Public Security Act. The very next day the
police arrested Varavararao from his residence without following any procedure.
Prior to the public notification of the ban orders the police swooped onto the
houses of poets and writers belonging to Revolutionary Writers Association. The
Act is basically a draconian piece of legislation which bans political beliefs
and dissent. The members of the Revolutionary Writers Association believe in the
politics of New Democratic Revolution and write poetry and propagate the
ideology of revolution in different literary forms. They have never been part of
any violent activity of the Maoists. But Varavararao and Kalyan Rao and Gaddar
were implicated in criminal cases and are harassing them by shifting them from
one court to another throughout the state. The police seem to be faithful
servents of the law and do not care to consider the health problems of the
writers and their age.
The Home Minister
while justifying the re-imposition of the ban on the Maoist party and other six
mass organisations including the Revolutionary Writers Association said that the
proscriptions of the organisations is necessary in order to instil people’s
confidence in the government and to restore democracy, law and order in the
state. It is the experience in the state that the AP.Public Security Act has
been a source of indiscriminate powers for the police and means to harass any
one branding him as a Naxalite. It is a source for making money. Notwithstanding
any criminal activity the police can read bad intention in every mind and invoke
the Act. What is most objectionable is the very object of the legislation that
it prohibits freedom of opinion and political beliefs. It does not allow any
kind of democratic activity and dissent against the government. In the past
thousands of people were arrested under this act and majority of them are
innocent. For no fault they spent years in the prison. During the negotiations
between the government and the Maoists one of the items on the agenda was to
release all who were booked under POTA and the Public Security Act.
On the demand of the
people and intellectuals and right activists in the state the Home Minister and
the top brass of the police promised to inquire into the two murders and also
find out the so called vigilante groups and nab them. But the Home Minister and
the D G P denied the allegation about the nexus between the police and the self
styled killer gangs. But the role of the police can not be ruled out. The DGP
while answering the press persons about the murders and the organisations
responsible for the incidents he categorically said that these outfits carrying
on the murders may be the victims of naxalites and in frustration are targeting
the sympathisers of the Maoists. One can hardly find any difference between the
statements of the so called ‘COBRAS’ and the Director General of Police. In
response to the demands of the Rights Organisations and prominent persons to
inquire into the incidents of murders the Home Minister has announced that a
Special Investigation Team is being constituted to inquire into both kind of
incidents of murders committed by the vigilante groups and the Maoists. The
response of the government appears to be neutral and impartial but a close
examination of the incidents that occurred immediately after break down of the
‘PEACE TALKS’ between the State government and the Naxalites there has been an
escalation of violence in the state . Although the government for political
reasons had initiated the peace talks but the police from the beginning are
opposed to the dialogue and democratic process and have been insisting to wipe
out the Naxalites only by force and repression.
Very recently the
government has constituted a State Human Rights Commission. When the matter has
been referred by the victims and their family members to the honourable Chairman
to enquire into the murders and save the life of the human rights defenders the
Commission made it clear that it has no powers as the matter does not come under
its jurisdiction . However the chirman is kind enough and took notice of the
serious implications of the murders on the society in general and the danger to
the democracy and the rule of law. The public which had high expectations on the
institution very soon realised that the Human Rights Commission is only a
recommendatory body and not competent to punish those who violate human rights.
It is ironical that the state government has re imposed the ban on the Maoists
and six other mass organisations including the writers organisation and at the
same time constituted the Human Rights Commission. Perhaps this is a strategy to
de legitimise the rights organisations in the state and give police a chance to
brand every activity of the organisation as criminal activity.
We sincerely request
the honourable Home Minister to expedite the investiga-tion by the SIT and
identify and control the killer gangs (cobras) and further take necessary and
immediate action to prevent any untoward incident in future. We urge the
Minister to provide a conducive atmosphere in the state for the human rights
organisations and other mass organisation to carry on their activities without
any fear .It is the responsibility of the government to safeguard the life and
liberties of any individual irrespective of his political or religious beliefs.
Any state that treats dissent or criticism of the citizen as a crime and become
intolerant is not a democratic one.
ANDHRA PRADESH CIVIL
LIBERTIES COMMITTEE (APCLC)
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