The Times of India News Service

HYDERABAD: The Communist Party of India-Marxist's State Committee has asked the government to release kidnapped human rights leaders immediately.

Warangal district Viplava Rachayitala Sangham (Virasam) leader Sudarshan, civil liberties leader Suresh and Lambada Hakkula Porata Samiti Jaisingh Rathode were among those kidnapped, the CPM said alleging that the hand of police was suspected in the kidnappings.

In a press release issued here on Thursday, CPM state committee secretary BV Raghavulu expressed concern over the increasing state-sponsored violence on one hand and the killings by the outlawed People's War on the other. "The government is gradually increasing restrictions on human rights organisations on the pretext of their alleged links with the extremist groups," he said.

The CPM has also condemned the killing of innocent people and political leaders by the People's War naxalites in the name of informers. Parvatalu, a CPM sympathiser from Mahbubnagar, was the latest victim of naxal killings, he said.

Raghavulu urged the government to solve problems of the common man by taking up socio-economic reforms.

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Tribals seek OBC benefits

The Times of India News Service

PANAJI: The chairman of Gawada, Kunbi, Velip and Dhangar Communities Federation Guru Shirodkar said here, all the four communities comprised tribals who were entitled to benefits given to other backward classes (OBC) irrespective of the religion they practised.

Shirodkar said, in a press release issued here, the state government had no right to distinguish and identify the communities separately on the basis of their religion, specially because most of them were victims of conversion during the erstwhile Portuguese regime. Identifying them as Christian Gawadas or Christian Kunbis was wrong since every citizen had a right to practise any faith under the guarantee given to them by the Constitution of India.

In spite of several requests made to the government, no action was taken to include these four communities in Scheduled Tribe Order, 1950, Shirodkar explained, and added, the Federation would insist on written instructions being sent to all heads of government departments asking them to give benefits to these communities irrespective of the religion they practised.