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PW promises red homage to slain leaders

The outlawed People's War proposes to mobilise the masses in India and abroad against fake encounters.

This is in answer to the killing of its three top leaders -- Nalla Adi Reddy alias Shyam, Yerramreddi Santosh Reddi alias Mahesh and Seelam Naresh alias Murali -- on December 2, 1999 in Andhra Pradesh's Koyyum.

The police claim they died in an encounter, but the PW alleges otherwise.

PW general secretary Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy and central committee member M Koteswara Rao alias Ramoji told journalists who met them deep in the forests of Andhra Pradesh that the secretariat of the central committee (provisional), the PW's apex decision-making body, has directed party units to hold memorial meetings and rallies. These would culminate with the martyrs' week from July 28 to August 3.

A release from the PW central secretariat described the killing of its three leaders -- all central committee members -- as ''cold-blooded murder by the Andhra Pradesh police.''

''They were arrested from a shelter in Bangalore on December 1 afternoon, tortured severely till late night after being airlifted to Hyderabad and brutally murdered,'' it said.

''This is the first major loss at the central level after the formation of the present central committee," the release went on. "The entire party rank and file, well-wishers of revolution and the revolutionary masses are still in a state of shock.''

The secretariat added, "from the very day of the murder of the three leaders the propaganda machinery of the state government began churning out not only stories of an encounter between our armed guerrilla squads and the police that was supposed to have resulted in the martyrdom of these comrades, but also of internal feuds and rifts within the CC, of possible surrenders at the highest level.''

A villager from Garjanipalli in Karimnagar district, arrested on November 30, was also murdered, the release alleged. Stories were floated in the media that ''this fourth person, who was given the name Arun by the police could be the secretary of the Tamil Nadu state committee of our party or an LTTE member of a guerrilla squad."

Ganapathy and Ramoji maintained that the modus operandi in the Koyyur incident was similar to that used in 'previous fake encounters'. Those too, they said, were backed by "a vilification campaign and malicious propaganda."

''Even a layman will wonder how such a fierce encounter could take place without the people of the surrounding villages or people moving on the road just one kilometre away hearing anything, not even a gun shot.

''It is simply unthinkable that three important leaders were left to fight for themselves against the enemy attack while squad members escaped to safety. Whenever an attack takes place the leaders are given protection by the guerrilla squads,'' they said.

''The government fears that the setting up of a high-level judicial enquiry will put it in the dock and hence is stubbornly refusing to accede to this demand raised by several organisations and individuals,'' they added.

PW units have now been asked to bring out leaflets, posters and booklets in various languages, ''popularise'' the lives of the slain leaders among masses through songs, dance, dramas and other cultural forms."

Various state committees and lower-level committees have been directed to bring out booklets ''in their own creative manner.''

The party units have also been asked to take up a signature campaign, concentrating on democratic and revolutionary organisations and individuals throughout the country and abroad.

Besides building "a broad-based mass movement" against police action, the central committee has directed the units to take up ''retaliatory armed action to avenge the murder of our comrades.''

Masses should be mobilised to the extent possible for such militant actions. ''At no cost should ordinary people become victims in our attacks against the enemy. Class line should be in command in every retaliation that we take up,'' the party's directive said.

Ganapathy and Ramoji dismissed the reports of rift in the PW. ''In general there have been only enemy agents within parties and not internal feuds. Infiltration by enemy agents is focussed on as internal feuds by the ruling classes,'' they said.

Justifying the killing of Madhya Pradesh minister Lakhiram Karve, Ganapathy and Ramoji alleged that though Karve was a tribal he was ''a stooge who was always working against the tribals.''

They justified the killing of former Andhra Pradesh assembly speaker D Sripada Rao and TDP's former legislator P Purushottam Rao during the run-up to the last poll, saying they were ''like a typical villain of Hindi films.''

"Both used to be instrumental in providing information and directing the police against our party members. After every such killing they used to promptly come to pay their condolences," they said.

The PW is determined to defeat 'the brutal military offensive of the enemy' by strengthening the party's armed forces, increasing party membership, building a united front of all anti-feudal, anti-imperialist forces, and mobilising the masses to pick up the gun.

''This is the only way to pay our red homage to our beloved leaders, Shyam, Mahesh and Murali,'' the top leaders said.

UNI

Tomorrow: 'The murders shall be avenged'
A detailed interview with Naxal chief Ganapathy.

MORE ON PW:
Karl and the Kashnikov
'Unification is the only way to advance the cause of the Indian revolution'

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