People's Democracy

A Statement On AP Firing

WE the undersigned are shocked and appalled by the police firing at Mudigonda village in Andhra Pradesh during the state-wide bandh on July 28, which led to loss of lives and serious injuries to a large number of people. The fact that the firing occurred despite the Chief Minister’s instructions to the police, according to his own statement, not to use force during the bandh, only underscores the extent of police high-handedness. But such high-handedness cannot be explained without reference to the repressive manner in which the state government has sought to deal with the movement for land by the poor. Over three thousand cases have been filed against the leaders of the movement, and thousands have been sent to jail.

Instead of dealing with the mass upsurge of the poor with sympathy and in a manner consistent with its own electoral promises, the state government has embarked on a futile and dangerous attempt to crush the movement. We appeal to the state government to desist from this course, we express our total solidarity with the mass upsurge of the poor for land, and we demand that the state government take immediate steps to distribute the 60 lakh acres of land which are in its possession according to the Rangarao Committee Report.

Ashok Mitra, Economist and Former Finance Minister of West Bengal, Kolkata,

Amiya Kumar Bagchi, Director, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata.
Malini Bhattacharya, Formerly Professor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Sashi Kumar, Mediaperson and Filmmaker, Chennai.
Utsa Patnaik, Professor, J.N.U., New Delhi.
Jayati Ghosh, Professor, J.N.U., New Delhi.
Javeed Alam, Formerly Professor, CIEFL, Hyderabad.
Mihir Bhattacharya, Formerly Professor, Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Ram Rahman, Freelance Photographer, New Delhi.
Venkatesh Athreya, Professor, M.S. Swaminathan Foundation for Research, Chennai.
C.P. Chandrasekhar, Professor, J.N.U., New Delhi.
Neeladri Bhattacharya, Professor, J.N.U., New Delhi.
Sushil Khanna, Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata.
Dinesh Abrol, Research Scientist, NISTADS, New Delhi.
Prabhat Patnaik, Professor, J.N.U., New Delhi.
Praveen Kumar Jha, Professor, J.N.U., New Delhi.
K.N. Harilal, Professor, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram.
Archana Prasad, Professor, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi.
Vandana Prasad, Child Specialist, New Delhi.
Nalini Taneja, Professor, Delhi University, Delhi.
Asad Zaidi, Publisher, New Delhi.
Prakash Upadhyaya, Political Scientist, New Delhi.
Vikas Rawal, Professor, J.N.U., New Delhi.
P.V.Aniyan, Researcher, State Planning Board, Thiruvananthapuram.
Atulan Guha, Economist, Institute for the Study of Industrial Development, New Delhi.
Prasenjit Bose, Economist, New Delhi.
Nirmal Kumar Chandra, formerly Professor, IIM Kolkata
Neeladri Bhattacharya, Professor, J. N. U. New Delhi
Parthapratim Pal, Professor, IIM Kolkata
Prabir Purkayastha, Delhi Science Forum, New Delhi
A Murali, Historian, Cultural University, Hyderabad
Arjun Dev, Retd. Professor NCERT, New Delhi
Indira Chandrasekhar, Publisher, New Delhi
Irfan Habib, Retd. Professor, AMU, Aligarh
Shireen Musvi, Professor, AMU, Aligarh
Iqthiar Alam Khan, Prof. AMU, Aligarh
Madhu Prasad, Delhi University
M.K.Raina, Theatre, New Delhi
Mohan Rao, Professor, JNU, New Delhi
Amit Misra, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow
V.R. Srinivasan, Assistant Editor, EPW
Umer A Chaudhry, Lahore District Secretary of Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party, Pakistan
R. Uma Maheshwari, Journalist, Hyderabad
V. Rukmini Rao, Gramya Resoruce Centre for Women
Ayesha Kidwai, Professor, JNU, New Delhi
Aniket Alam, Panos New Delhi
Capt J. Rama Rao, IN (Retd)
Rasna Bhushan, Art historian, Hyderabad
Ziyad Faisal, Communist Mazdoor Kisan Party, Pakistan
Alok Rai, Professor, Delhi University
Mehmal Sarfraz, Assistant Editor, The Post
Indrani Mazumdar, Centre for Women’s Development Studies, New Delhi
Susie Tharu, Hyderabad
Gautam Navlakha
Salil Misra, IGNOU
Arjun Dasgupta
Aditi Ghosh
Meenakshi Sharma
Himanshu Thakkar
Kiran Chandra, Free Software Movement
Joe Christopher
Pragya Majumdar
Kaushik Dasgupta
Modhumita Roy, Tufts University, USA
Ruby Lal, Emory University, USA
Gyan Pandey, Emory University, USA
Vijay Prashad, Trinity College, USA
Lakshmi Kutty
Anita Dixit
Sonya S. Gupta, Jamia Millia Islamia