GUNTUR: A delegation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), including its chairman HL Dattu, on Tuesday visited Guntur and some of the violence-prone areas in the district, as part of its four-day tour to the State.
On the first day of its visit, the delegation received a complaint from Telugu Desam leaders Galla Jayadev, GV Anjaneyulu, M Giridhar, Dokka Manikyavaraprasad, P Ashok Babu and others, who alleged that the present dispensation was abusing the law and misusing the police machinery, and filed false cases, which were non-bailable, against their party leaders.
The TDP leaders said that the police registered 19 ‘false’ cases against former Assembly speaker Kodela Siva Prasad Rao, who ‘committed suicide due to the harassment by the government’. The cases filed against him and his son Siva Ram, and the raids on properties owned by them, following a complaint by YSRC Narasaraopet MLA Gopireddy Srinivasa Reddy, were human rights and fundamental rights violations, they stated.
They added the Chalo Atmakur protest called by party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu was forcibly prevented by confining leaders to their homes; cases registered against social media activists was an attempt to suppress people’s voice on political issues. They alleged that the present government had misused the Information Technology Act and IPC sections such as 153A, 500, 503 and 120 B.
Guntur MP Galla Jayadev mentioned that the YSRC activists carried out attacks on 800 party workers and leaders, leading to the death of eight TDP men in the violence. “The TDP had lodged a complaint with the NHRC on the issue in September and requested the commission to protect the democracy in AP state. Many more such incidents (of violence) will come to light when the NHRC continues its inquiry in the Palnadu region.”
MLCs Manikya Varaprasad, and Ashok Babu, and former minister Anand Babu said similar complaints against the government would be filed with the SC/ST Commission.
Guntur Rural SP briefs delegation
Guntur (Rural) SP Ch Vijaya Rao on Tuesday met members of the NHRC delegation who were visiting Punugupadu, Jangameswarapadu, Atmakur and Pinnelli villages to study the law and order situation there. While briefing them through a Powerpoint presentation, the SP said police pickets were established in all the troubled areas, and that police teams, including DSPs, inspectors and SHOs, were regularly patrolling such areas. He told them several villages were adopted by police officials for their development