Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, the Minister for Infrastructure and Investments, on Tuesday in an open letter to the Chief Minister demanded action against Task Force DCP Akun Sabharwal for lathi-charge on the students of Nizam College.
He also asked the CM to take measures to stop “brutality” by the police and send back the paramilitary forces, and also drop the cases against the students.
He said the only solution to restore normalcy in the region was that the Centre should make a statement in favour of a separate T state and to facilitate the process, the Chief Minister should send a “real report” to the Centre and the party high command.
If the government did not restrain itself from initiating disciplinary action against the agitating employees, it would become inevitable for him to stand by the affected sections and take up agitations against the government, and the government would be responsible for all consequences, he cautioned.
Mr Reddy in his letter found fault with the government for its attitude towards the people who were participating in the ‘Sakala Janula Samme’ in a peaceful manner.
They were only exercising their constitutional right. But the government was resorting to the midnight arrests of Singareni Collieries’ employees and was even slapping ESMA. It was also threatening that the outsourced employees would be removed from the service if they participated in the strike.
“Even the British did not behave in such a manner,” the minister said.He reminded the CM that the demand for T state was an aspiration nursed by the people for over six decades. The agitators had not taken recourse to violence; instead they had been sacrificing their lives for separate state.
“The govern ment should not try to put down the agitation with an iron hand. If it tries to do so, it will have to face serious consequences,” he said. The Congress legislators, Mr Reddy said, were facing a serious problem as they were unable to visit their constituencies in the present situation. [HANS India]