AP: Oppn urge Gov to intervene on firing issue

Hyderabad, July 30: A delegation of all Opposition parties, led by Left Parties, today urged Andhra Pradesh Governor Rameshwar Thakur to immediately intervene to ensure that the Government orders a judicial inquiry by a sitting High Court judge into the police firing at Mudigonda in Khammam district in which six people were killed.

The opposition parties also demanded that a case of murder be registered against the police officials responsible for it.

In a memorandum submitted to the Governor, the Opposition parties - CPI(M), CPI and TDP - urged him to pressurise the state government to accept all their demands. The demands included better medical care for all the injured, house site pattas for the poor and withdrawal of all cases foisted on the participants of the land movement.

Describing the firing by the police on peaceful agitators as ''unwarranted and totally premeditated'', they said there was absolutely no necessity to deploy anti-naxal squads.

They claimed that about 100 rounds were fired on the small crowd who were peacefully agitating. It was totally premeditated, they alleged.

They said the state government had miserably failed to resolve the Left parties land agitation for house sites to poor.

They alleged that the government sought to terrorise the people by resorting to lathicharge, foisting cases and arresting people.

Later, talking to newspersons, CPM State Secretary B V Raghavulu said the statements of Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy showed that the government was supporting the police firing on innocent people.

TDP Deputy Leader T Devender Goud alleged that the Chief Minister was resorting to counter attacks on the Opposition instead of solving the problems of the poor.

CPI State Secretary K Narayana said the government could not suppress the democratic agitation by the poor by resorting to lathicharge and firing. The Left parties would continue their agitaiton for house sites in future, he added.

UNI