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Revolutionary Writers Association president and former Maoist emissary G Kalyan Rao, who had gone into hiding ever since the Andhra Pradesh government imposed the ban on his organization alongwith the Communist Party of India(Maoist) and 6 other frontal organizations, dramatically surfaced at the Hyderabad Press Club on Friday afternoon, from where he was arrested by the police.
Kalyan Rao took exception to the arrest of revolutionary writer-poet Varavara Rao by the police
earlier in the day. He also strongly condemned the ban imposed on Virasam (Viplava Rachiyatala Sangham, or Revolutionary Writers Association) by the Congress government.
After the media conference was over, Kalyan Rao stayed put in the Press Club at Bashir Bagh even as a posse of policemen reached there to arrest him. Tension prevailed for a while in the premises as some Virasam members resisted attempts by the police to take them and Kalyan Rao into custody.
At 4.15 pm, they were taken away in police vehicles.
Along with Varavara Rao and revolutionary balladeer Gaddar, Kalyan Rao had assisted the aborted peace talks between the state government and the naxalites as Maoist emissaries in October last.
It was for the first time that Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy had sought to stifle the voice of the people and curb the freedom of expression by imposing the ban on Virasam. This was done as part of the government's attempts at "thought policing" of the society.
AP govt reimposes ban on naxals
Asserting that Virasam had no links with any naxalite groups, much less the CPI-Maoist, he said that the government had wrongly bracketed the revolutionary writers association as a frontal organization of the left-wing extremists.
He added that Virasam supported the people's struggles and any just cause of the underprivileged sections of society.
"The government has unnecessarily declared the ban on Virasam. This action is totally unjust, undemocratic and unconstitutional. No government has the right to control the thoughts of the people or the power to curtail the right to expression of the people.
"We will totally oppose the ban imposed on Virasam. We will move the courts to challenge the ban," he added.
Earlier in the day, state Director-General of Police Swaranjit Sen had stated that anyone who supported the Maoists by statements or actions will be liable for arrest under the AP Public Security Act.
Speaking to media after meeting Home Minister K Jana Reddy on Friday afternoon, the DGP justified the arrest of Varavara Rao.
He said Varavara Rao, a member of Revolutionary Writers Association (Viplava Rachiyatala Sangham), was arrested under sections 81 and 82 of the AP Public Security Act as he had been helping the underground naxalites.