Live
- DEO suspends teacher accused of sexual assault
- PM ‘cursing’ Congress out of despair: Maharashtra Cong Chief
- Applications are invited for Junior Colleges Scheme District Scheduled Castes Development Officer Ramlal
- A nomination was filed on the second day for the Nagar Kurnool parliamentary seat
- SP Gaikwad inspected the Telangana Amarnath Saleswaram Jatara yatra arrangements
- Rahul Gandhi's decision to contest from Wayanad shows 'lack of confidence': BJP President Nadda
- IPL 2024: Delhi bowlers will go after all of SRH’s top-order batters, says head coach Ricky Ponting
- At Amroha rally, PM Modi sends out ‘meaningful’ message for Muslims and Hindus
- Tripura records highest 79.83 pc voter turnout in Northeast
- The government has to clear the confusion
Varavara Rao arrest condemned
The preventive detention of revolutionary poet Varavara Rao and several Virasam leaders from various parts of the city was widely condemned on Sunday. The arrest was in view of Rao and others going ahead with a programme ‘Pratyamnaya Rajakeeya Vedika’ (Forum for Political Alternative) for which the police had denied permission on Saturday.
- Virasam leaders’ arrest described as human rights violation
- They set up Forum for Political Alternative
- Cops say it is a front for banned Maoist Party
Hyderabad: The preventive detention of revolutionary poet Varavara Rao and several Virasam leaders from various parts of the city was widely condemned on Sunday. The arrest was in view of Rao and others going ahead with a programme ‘Pratyamnaya Rajakeeya Vedika’ (Forum for Political Alternative) for which the police had denied permission on Saturday. The police had said that it was a frontal organisation of the banned outfit CPI (Maoist).
While poet G Kalyan Rao was taken into custody in Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh, Jeetan Marandi, a singer from Jharkhand, was taken into custody in the city, the police said. ACP Amarkanth Reddy said they detained the forum members at Sundaraiah Vignana Kendram.
Rao's application to the police said the meeting was being held to review the progress in the ten years of ‘United Revolutionary Movement.’ While refusing permission, the police said the pamphlet released by the Vedika says that the CPI (Maoist) was the only alternative to the present democratic system. This indicated that the meeting was being convened only to propagate the ideology of the banned outfit and for facilitating recruitment into the CPI (Maoist) party.
There are reliable inputs that some underground cadres of CPI (Maoists) are likely to reach Hyderabad, the police said. Several organisations condemned the arrest of Virasam leaders. Professor Hara Gopal and Chukka Ramaiah met Police Commissioner M Mahender Reddy, demanding their release. Political parties including Congress, CPI and CPM condemned the arrests, describing them as violation of human rights.
Later, as Hara Gopal tried to meet the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, the police stopped him and did not allow him to towards the CM camp office. "The current developmental model being adopted by the government is undermining people's right. If it continues, the Maoist or any other fringe elements would fill in the vaccum," said Haragopal.
