Cases slapped against Varavara Rao, others

Cases have been slapped against revolutionary writer Varavara Rao, some APCLC members and Maoist party leaders under the AP Public Security Act, 1992 after the city police caught 18 members, including minors, at the Mahatma Gandhi Bus station here on Monday.

Of the 18 picked up, there are 11 minors who were sent to the state home while the other accused were remanded in judicial custody.

Afzalgunj police produced nine of them, including APCLC leaders N Narayana Rao and D Hanmanth Rao, as accused. They are S Nagesh, M Ramu alias Sunder, M Karthik, M Bheema, K Bhadru, M Deva and S Oonga, hail from Chhattisgarh. Police said the persons from Chhattisgarh were members of outlawed CPI  (Maoist) party and working in its wing, Chaitanya Natya Manch in the Dandakaranya area of Chhattisgarh to spread extremist philosophy of Maoists and to encourage people to join Maoist cadres.

They came to the city as instructed by Varavara Rao and others to conduct and attend Maoist memorial meetings organised by Amarula Bandhu Mitrula Committee, a frontal organisation of Maoists.

Police said they recovered computer CDs containing video showing the Janthana Sarkar run by Maoists in Chhattisgarh, some photos and mobile phones. In the remand diary, the police said the accused planned to organise cultural programmes with song, dance, drama to highlight the deeds of slain extremists and to propagate their left-wing extremist ideology.

Police said the 11 minors, including six girls, were found to be innocent and unable to communicate freely due to illiteracy and innocence. “Leaving them alone without any protection would expose them to danger of exploited by anti-social elements.

It is necessary to provide them food, shelter and security till their parents come and take them into their custody,’’ the police informed the court. The court sent the nine arrested accused to remand till July 30 while the minors were sent to state home for rehabilitation.

Varavara Rao, other APCLC leaders Ganti Prasadam, Padma Kumari, Raghunath and Maoist party members including North Telangana Special Zonal Committee secretary Chandranna and other leaders like O Ganesh, Hari Bhushan, Sudhkar, Kiran, Azad, Sunitha, Naresh, Susheela and Seethakka, were also named as absconding accused.