Kothagudem.14.09.2024: Gujjula Venu Gopal Reddy, a member of the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State Committees of the National Human Rights Commission, condemned the suppression of democratic rights in recent events.
A fact-finding committee, which included 13 leaders from a civil rights association, was formed to investigate and share information about an encounter that occurred in the Karakagudem forest area of Bhadradri district earlier this month. However, the committee members were stopped, arrested, and taken to the police station before they could verify the facts.
Reddy stated that if the police encounter was genuine, there should be no issue in allowing the fact-finding team to visit the site. He urged the state government to cooperate and ensure transparency, rather than detaining the team. “The government must answer for this,” he said, adding that there should be no obstacles in the pursuit of truth. He further demanded that democratic freedoms be upheld and protected in the state.
