annual report print final.qxd - Asian Centre for Human Rights

INDIA HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2005 Andhra Pradesh
Salur police station Sub-Inspector V
Venkata Appa Rao and demanded their
release. 17
On 1 November 2004, one person
reportedly identified as Mujahid was
killed in police firing on a crowd in front
of the office of the Director-General of
Police in Hyderabad. The crowd tried to
prevent the arrest of religious leader
Moulana Nasiruddin, an accused in the
case of murder of former Gujarat minister
Haren Pandya by the Gujarat police. The
Home Minister reportedly ordered an
inquiry into the incident.18
During counter insurgency operations,
Andhra Pradesh police personnel also
claimed to have killed many Naxalites in
encounters. On 25 January 2004, police
shot dead one Yerra Satyam, an alleged
high-ranking member of the PWG and his
associate Sivanda alias Sankar. They were
believed to have been behind the
assassination attempt on then Chief
Minister Chandra Babu Naidu in October
2003. Civil liberties activists alleged that
the two Naxalites were extrajudicially
executed. 19
On the night of 28 March 2004, three
members of PWG were reportedly killed
in an exchange of fire in Nallamala forest
area of Amramabad mandal20 in
Mahabubnagar district. Another Naxalite
was killed in an encounter that took place
on the outskirts of Chinna Kistapur village
in Jagadevpur mandal in Medak district on
the same date. 21 On 4 March 2004, four
Naxalites were reportedly killed in an
encounter in the deep forests near
4
Pamidipadu of Bollapalli mandal in
Guntur district. 22 On 13 May 2004, two
PWG Naxalites - B Raja alias Balanna and
G Sekhar alias Raghu were reportedly
killed in an encounter with police at
Akenapalli in Adilabad district. 23
While it is difficult to verify the
claims of encounter killings, Andhra
Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee and
Human Rights Forum reported many fake
encounter killings. In August 2004, the
Forum highlighted large number of
encounter killings in Palnadu where police
claimed to have executed 42 Naxals in a
record time of 15 months during 2003-04.
Many innocent persons were allegedly
executed. 24
ii. Arbitrary arrest, detention and
torture
Andhra Pradesh Police continued to
arrest without warrant and torture innocent
people and suspects for bribes and to
extract confessions.
On 19 April 2004, Congress candidate
Galla Aruna Kumari of Chandragiri
constituency, her husband Ramachandra
Naidu and son Jayadeva Naidu were
beaten and arrested for protesting against
the forcible removal of the hoardings of
her election campaign by the local
returning officer under police cover. Then
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu was
visiting the constituency. 25
On 5 May 2004, two drunken
policemen, Ravinder Goud and
Venkateswarlu of Humayunagar police
station, allegedly beaten up one