People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

Communal Tensions Flare Up in Adilabad District

M Venugopala Rao

IN the run-up to the elections, the Sangh Parivar had flared up communal tensions and indulged in violent attacks especially on the Christians in Orissa and Karnataka. Even in Andhra Pradesh, in their nefarious game plan to reap political gains, they have fomented communal tensions and violence in Adilabad district. The violence claimed three lives in Bhainsa town on October 10, 2008 and a Muslim family of six persons, including three children, were burnt alive in Vatoli village on October 12. The government machinery failed to take necessary precautionary measures to prevent such incidents and bring the culprits to book.

In Bhainsa, in connection with a religious procession going in front of a prayer house of another community, tensions flared up and both sides indulged in violence and arson in which three people died and several others were injured. Several shops and vehicles were burnt. The police fired in the air and tried to quell the violent mobs. While prohibitory orders were in force in Bhainsa from 10 October 2008 onwards, a family of six were burnt alive at Vatoli in the early hours on October 12. Chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy announced judicial enquiry into Bhainsa incidents and CBI enquiry into Vatoli incident.

Expressing shock at the ghastly crime of burning a family of six alive, the state committee of the CPI(M) strongly condemned the pre-planned incident. The CPI(M), in a statement, pointed out that the Vatoli incident had taken place as a result of the failure of the government machinery in acting effectively despite the disturbances on October 10 at Bhainsa. The state committee demanded the government to apprehend the culprits responsible for the incident and punish them severely. It requested the government to take precautionary measures immediately to prevent spreading of the impact of those clashes to other areas and to come to the rescue of the families of the deceased. The CPI(M) appealed to all sections of the people to maintain restraint and safeguard communal harmony.

Leaders of different political parties and some of the ministers visited the places where the incidents took place and talked to the affected families. A team of CPI(M) leaders, consisting of its state secretariat member S Veeraiah, its floor leader in the legislative assembly Nomula Narsimhaiah, MLC Ch Sitaramulu, MLA M Narsimha, member of the state committee M Saibabu and secretary of the Adilabad district committee Bandi Dattatri, visited Bhainsa and examined the places where the incidents took place and talked to the affected families and local villagers, besides visiting the prayer houses and talking to the religious heads. They demanded enquiry into the incidents by a sitting judge and severe punishment to the culprits. The CPI(M) leaders told press reporters that the communal clashes were a result of a conspiracy hatched by the communal forces. Though such incidents were taking place for four days, the government was ineffective and had failed to control the situation, they criticised.

Protesting against the communal incidents and failure of the government machinery to curb them, and appealing to the people to protect communal harmony, the CPI(M) had taken out processions and rallies at several places in the state. Denouncing the Bhainsa incidents, a procession was held and an effigy of communalism was burnt at RTC X roads in Hyderabad on October 12. Speaking on the occasion, Y Venkateswara Rao, state secretariat member, demanded the government to bring the culprits to book and help the affected people. He appealed to all sections of the people to protect communal harmony. P S N Murthy, secretary of Hyderabad city committee, D G Narasimha Rao, secretary of Ranga Reddy district committee, state committee members of the CPI(M) T Jyothi, P Janga Reddy, Miriam Venkateswarlu and J Jayaram and leaders of several mass organisations participated.