The Hindu Business Line : Citizens' panel for cessation of violence in AP

EXPRESSING concern over escalation of violence in Andhra Pradesh ahead of the ensuing general elections, the Committee of Concerned Citizens (CCC) has appealed to the State Government and CPI (ML) People's War Group to show restraint and let people exercise their franchise freely and fearlessly.

In a statement here, Mr S.R. Sankaran, former IAS officer and Convener of CCC, said citizens were free to vote or not to vote and nobody had any right to force them to act either way.

"A boycott should be voluntary and the voters should be convinced that voting for any candidate is, in fact, an option-less exercise and will not lead to any major socio-economic changes," Mr Sankaran said, referring to the People's War's call for boycott of polls. "Our election laws do not forbid boycott of elections," he said.

To give a call for poll boycott was permissible, but holding out threats is undemocratic and anti-people, he said.

The committee, however, equally objected to forcing people to vote using police force or threatening them with penalties for boycotting elections. These acts were against the rule of law.

"The call for boycott cannot be used as a pretext for unleashing violence on the people," it felt.

The CCC said the State was resorting to encounter killings and suppressing democratic activities. The State continued to encourage unofficial cliques, it pointed out.

On the other hand, the PWG had been targeting and killing the cadres of Telugu Desam Party and its ally, the Bharatiya Janata Party.

The PWG was holding out death threats, compelling resignations, killing so-called informers and attacking police. "These developments are harmful," the CCC Convener observed.

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