Stop Killing Intellectuals in Andhra Pradesh

To,
The Honorable President of India

We would like to bring to your kind notice some recent happenings in the state of Andhra Pradesh and request your intervention in the same.

The Andhra Pradesh government has recently initiated a cruel and inhuman anti-insurgency strategy. According to this strategy, it seems that the state Police Department has engaged a criminal mafia gang called Black Cobra gang. This gang has been issuing death lists in media and brutally hacking those on the lists.

The people who figure on these death lists are writers, journalists, singers, artists, and human rights activists. And the mistakes they have committed - to criticize the state police whenever the department indulges in excesses, and to fight for the rights of the common man.

Already two intellectuals Mr. Kanakachari, a teacher by profession, human rights activist and co-convener of Telangana Jana Sabha and, Mr. M. Prasad, a bank employee and District leader of Kula Nirmoolana Poraata Samithi, an organization fighting against caste system, were brutally hacked to death within a span of two weeks.

When a delegation of intellectuals and journalists complained to Lok-Ayukta (an ombudsman-like authority to enforce ethics and accountability in public office), that the state Home Minister and Director General of Police have failed to discharge their duties with respect to the Cobra Killings, the Cobra gang had started calling up those who were part of that delegation. This is ample proof that the police are hand-in-glove with this criminal gang

Rearing vigilante criminal groups and using them to bump off detractors is a strategy used by cruel dictators. It is sad that such inhuman strategies are being used in one of the most revered democracies in the world.

Those on the death list are highly respected intellectuals living in public life. (please see: http://www.geocities.com/ap_intellectuals/ for more information on those who are being targeted).

If we eliminate these voices of people, what kind of a society shall we leave for our future generations?

We request your honorable self to kindly intervene in this regard and use your good offices to stop this annihilation campaign.

We request you to ensure that the Rule of the Law prevails in this country.

We,

The under signed.