Pressure mounts on AP govt to continue peace talks

In the midst of escalating naxalite-related violence, pressure mounted on the Congress government in Andhra Pradesh today to continue peace talks with Maoists and to put an end to the 'police encounters that had prompted extremist groups to pull out of the dialogue process'.

As the one-day bandh called by naxalite organisations to protest 'fake police encounters' turned violent in Karimnagar district where three ultras were shot dead by police, the ruling party's ally Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) cautioned the government against allowing the situation to deteriorate and called for an immediate halt to police actions.

A delegation of TRS ministers, legislators and party leaders from Telangana region met chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy and urged him to take immediate measures to save the peace talks from collapsing.

Voicing concern over a spurt in encounter killings, the delegation led by civil supplies minister, Vijayarama Rao, called for an end to encounters and combing operations.

He also asked for an inquiry into encounter killings during the ceasefire period, fresh measures to resume talks with naxalite organisations and convening of an all-party meeting to deliberate on an integrated policy to deal with the situation.

While asserting that his government was committed to carry forward the dialogue process, the chief minister, said that it was also the duty of the police to 'maintain law and order'.