Suspect's kin: No mention of wires by police

By U SUDHAKAR REDDY
Hyderabad : Syed Kaleem, the brother of Syed Saleem of Hyderabad who died in Thursday's blast in Ajmer, has said that the police did not tell him about wires recovered from the pocket of his brother.
"They told us there was only Rs 100 and some change in his pocket," Mr Kaleem told this correspondent. "They did not tell us there were wires. It cropped up later."
"He has a wife and three children. How would he end his life by becoming a suicide bomber," Mr Kaleem, a real estate agent, asked. "My brother was psychologically fit," he added.
Rajasthan police had said that electrical wires were recovered from the pocket of Saleem, 42, of Janakinagar Colony in Tolichowki, who died in the blast at the Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti dargah in Ajmer. His body was found close to the site where the bomb went off.
The police is checking whether the wires were similar to the ones used in the bomb. The police is investigating whether the cellphone used to trigger the blast belonged to Saleem.
Mr Kaleem said that Rajasthan chief minister Vasundara Raje Scindia had spoken to him "at least for 15 minutes."
"She said that she would extend any support. Even Rajasthan police spoke well to us and they helped us in dispatching the body home," Mr Kaleem said. Personnel from the Central crime station spoke to Mr Kaleem on Saturday evening.

(Published in Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age on October 15 2007)

Study finds retinal degeneration is widespread

By U. Sudhakar Reddy
Age related macular degeneration (AMD), an irreversible condition, has suddenly risen to become the third biggest eye disease in India, next only to cataract and diabetic retinopathy and corneal scars.
AMD is recognised as the biggest cause of irreversible vision and retinal blindness in the US and Europe.
The sudden rise of AMD in India was revealed in a study conducted in Andhra Pradesh by L.V. Prasad Eye Institute. Earlier the estimated prevalence of retinal diseases was 10.3 per cent of which AMD constituted 2.7 per cent. That has now doubled, the study showed.
AMD generally strikes at about age 50. A person whose vision blurs in the centre may have AMD. It is a complex disorder and unlike other eye diseases treatment is limited and expensive and there is no reliable cure.
Change in food habits, smoking, hypertension, increase in cholesterol are cited as reasons for the increase in AMD incidence.
The eye institute also found a genetic basis for AMD. The Brien Holden Eye Research Centre of the institute stated in a report published in Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences that variation of a gene Complement Factor-H increased the risk of AMD by five to ten times.
Dr R. Narayanan, a retinal diseases consultant of the institute, said that the disease affects the macula, a part of the retina. Macula is the part on which light rays are focused.
Intake of anti-oxidants like Vitamin E, Vitamin C and Zinc can slow the onset of AMD if not prevent it. "There is no awareness of the disease in the public," the doctor said. "We see at least two to three patients a day at our institute alone. When we compare the figure with those three years ago, it is almost double."
Treatment can be lengthy and expensive. In photo dynamic therapy, a cold laser shrinks abnormal blood vessels and decreases swelling. It costs around Rs 60,000 per sitting and is spread over three sittings.
Macugen, a medicinal drug, is injected into the eye. Each injection costs Rs 40,000 and Between 10 to 20 per cent of patients show improvement.
Between 20 to 30 per cent of patients show improvement with Avastin, a drug used for intestinal cancer treatment. It costs Rs 1,000 injection.
Lucentis was launched in the US in July this year but it costs $2,000 a shot. Repeats indicate that 30 to 40 per cent of patients are benefited.

(Published in Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age on October 26 2006)

AP 'Cobras' go in Bihar way

By Venkat Parsa in New Delhi and U. Sudhakar Reddy in Hyderabad

Sept. 13: CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury on Monday expressed concern that Andhra Pradesh is going the Bihar way with the emergence of caste-based private armies like Nallamalla Cobra (Nallatrachu). Mr Yechury said that in the north private armies are used primarily to oppress the weaker sections. The police and the administration do not help the private armies’ victims as they lack clout.Most problems are rooted in backwardness and greater development is the answer, Mr Yechury said. In a sense, even the demand for a separate Telangana emerges from backwardness, he said.

The CPI(M) opposes statehood for Telangana. For tackling backwardness, he said, the government should formulate a well-funded specific development plan. Land and land rights are at the core of the problem, Mr Yechury said, adding that violence breaks out when these rights are diluted. The state government should address these issues in right earnest; if timely measures are not initiated, the situation could soon worsen, he said.

If such caste-based private armies are allowed to survive, a majority of attacks would be directed against dalits and the landless poor. Most of the private armies would be operated by rich, upper-caste people. For them, the weaker sections are the target, he said, adding that in addition to organised massacres, private armies use dehumanising programmes to insult the weaker sections.Private armies take the guise of anti-Maoist groups and spring up after a major attack by extremists.

Fear Vikas, Green Tigers, Nalladandu, Red Tigers, Tirumala Tigers, Palnadu Tigers, Kakatiya Cobras, Narsa Cobras, Nallamalla Nallatrachu (Cobras) and Kranthi Sena are some of the gangs. The gangs have fiery logos featuring cobras, tigers and guns. Narsa Cobras was formed after the Maoists shot Maktal Congress legislator Narsi Reddy in Mahbubnagar district on August 15. Narsa Cobras has already killed Kanakachari, a backward castes person, for allegedly being an alleged Maoist sympathiser.Tirumala Tigers was formed after the attack on then chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on October 2003 at Alipiri, at the Tirumala foothills. Among the oldest is Green Tigers, formed in the then Naxal base of North Telangana in 1994. The Maoists have since set up base in the Nallamala forests bordering four districts in central Andhra. Among these, the Nallatrachus are said to targetdalits.

The group takes its name from the deadly cobras of the Nallamala forests. On Sunday, this group threatened balladeer Gaddar with death.It has claimed responsibility for the September 10 killing of M. Prasad of Kula Nirmulana Porata Samithi (samithi for eradicating caste). Prasad, who belonged to the scheduled castes, was killed the day KNPS state president Duddu Prabkahar was released on bail.The Nallamala Nallatrachu has threatened to kill residents in a dalit colony in Prakasam district, a report from Ongole said. The police has launched a search for Nallatrachu activists in the area. The scare began after unidentified persons wearing masks went around houses at night, questioning residents.Nallatrachu leader Neelakantu warned Gaddar: "Your brothers Vara Vara Rao and Kalyan Rao are in jail. You are still talking for the Maoists. Stop that or face the consequences."Gaddar told this correspondent, "These gangs are sponsored by the government to curb revolution and people’s democratic movements. I have asked the government to provide me with a licence so that I can get a gun to protect myself. They refused." Two personal security officers were posted for the security of Gaddar.

Gaddar escaped an attack in April 1997. "Green Tigers have already pumped bullets into my spine. Now this is the latest threat." he said. "Let them threaten me, I will not leave this path. I will sing for the people till my last breath. They can’t jail my songs, they can’t shoot my songs, they can’t kill my songs."Director-general of police Swaranjit Sen denied that the police was backing these gangs. "Where is the need? The police is doing everything as per the law to tackle the Maoist menace. The police is not supporting them." Mr Sen added, "The police will investigate (the killings) impartially. I feel that this is a natural reaction against the atrocities of the Maoists."Mr Sen stoutly denied the caste angle. He said "We have no information that the Cobra gangs are caste-based. They are reactionary forces to the Maoists. Their victims are not too many. Only two cases were reported, and these depended on the local situation. Based on two incidents how can we say that the victims or the accused belong to specific caste groups."Former naxalite Nayeemuddin, alias Nayeem, is suspected to be behind some of the killings. Nayeem is said to be associated with the Nalladandu gang.

"The gangs are formed by former naxals, relatives of the victims of naxals, extreme elements. The gangs earlier killed human rights activists Azam Ali and Purushottam. We suspect that these gangs have cyanide weapons that can kill easily," said a senior police official.Some former naxals are fielding their associates in the forthcoming municipal elections. It is alleged that Syed Asgar, an associate of Nayeem, was unanimously elected because no one dared contest against him in a municipal ward in Bhongir town, about 50 km from Hyderabad. He secured a Congress ticket.

(Published in Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age)

Baba promises thin-air babies

By U. SUDHAKAR REDDY
Chowdapur (Andhra Pradesh), Oct. 6: Hundreds of childless couples and ailing persons are lining up before two godmen in Chowdapur seeking miracle cures.
Swas Baba, alias E. Venkataiah, and Biscuit Baba, alias D. Venkataiah, are literally cashing in on their fears and desires.
Swas Baba, who has been attracting devotees for more than a year, claims he can help infertile women conceive a child by blowing air on their stomach. Then he offers them a lemon which he has blessed.
Biscuit Baba goes a step further and claims that he has a cure for every ailment under the sun, including those which have puzzled physicians.
Devotees come to them not only from Ranga Reddy district but also from neighbouring Mahabubnagar and far off Medak.
"Why are you questioning my credentials," Swas Baba asked when this correspondent confronted him. "I have been chosen to make the barren conceive. I am not taking any money from them. I do't even touch them. It is all God's work."
However, local people said he was taking cash offerings from devotees.
Biscuit Baba, formerly a shepherd, claims he was bestowed with "heavenly powers" 16 years ago. "Many people have been cured of their diseases after coming here," he said.
He hates it when he is compared to Swas Baba. "There is no cheating here," he said. "The other swamy may be a cheat. Don't compare me with him."
According to local people, the two semi-literate persons metamorphosed into godmen overnight and suddenly started attracting hundreds of devotees. "All you need for this kind of business is a tree adjacent to a temple where you can sit, and the gift of the gab," said a villager with a cynical smile.
The fame of the two babas has spread far and wide so quickly that even mentally ill persons are brought to them for miracle cures. They don't turn away anyone.
Parigi Ramulu, a villager of Chowdapur, said Venkataiah, who became Swas Baba, was an ordinary villager who worked in the fields. "I don't know how he became a godman," he said.
At least 200 people visit him every day seeking his blessings. "It is a racket," said Ramulu, adding, "He takes Rs 5 from each devotee as a token offering and other cash offerings too."
But devotees strongly believe in his power. "The baba told us to come here for five Saturdays in a row," said Radhamma and her husband Jayappa of Palepalli in Doma mandal, adding, "We have been married for four years and have no kids. We are sure we will have children now."
Chandraiah, another devotee, claimed that his wife gave birth after being blessed by the baba.
However K. Krishnaiah, whose daughter is a devotee of Swas Baba, said he had been collecting money from people promising miracles. "His behaviour is suspicious," said Krishnaiah.
Kulakacharla sub-inspector of police A. Balaiah said the antics of the godmen had come to their notice only recently. "We will look into this," he said. "We will book a case if someone lodges a complaint."
It is pointed out that the failure of the health department to offer medical care to ailing villagers had prompted them to approach godmen. However, Ranga Reddy district medical and health officer L. Shobavathi said there were 39 PHCs in the area. "The villagers go to these swamys and come to the PHCs only when their conditions worsen," she said. "But we take all the blame." She added that there was no scientific basis for the swamys' claims. "But we can't say anything about the beliefs of people," she added.

(Published in Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age on October 7 2007)

Andhra poor brave Iraq death trap

ByP. Sridhar in Karimnagar and U. Sudhakar Reddy in Hyderabad

Andhra Pradesh's agricultural labourers prefer the scorching deserts of Iraq to the barren fields of their home state. The ever-present possibility of violent death does not terrify them: the alternative is a slow death from hunger.Hundreds of agricultural labourers from several drought-hit villages of Andhra Pradesh are migrating secretly to Iraq to make a living doing menial jobs in US military camps, construction sites and transport companies. As they leave their families behind, it is the prospect of decent pay packets that keeps their chins up.

At least they don't have to resort to begging, like many of their compatriots, their families say.The Indian government's "official ban" on visas to Iraq is no hindrance. Dubious agents from Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi help them slip into Iraq after they reach Kuwait and Dubai.

Most of them have no idea of the dangers. They have not heard about the Indian labourers who were kidnapped and held for ransom by resistance fighters. Even those who are aware of the dangers don't care. Several are working as dhobis (laundrymen), scavengers, cooks, drivers and construction workers in war-torn Iraq for salaries paid in US dollars.Officials said that about 500 workers from Karimnagar district fly to Gulf countries in search of work every month, and that a major chunk of them slipping into Iraq to make some quick money.

"Dangerous terrain, decent pay" is a formula acceptable to many of them.Special Branch (immigration department) assistant commissioner M. Ramachandra Reddy said that since there was a ban on flying to Iraq, workers go to other Gulf countries before finding their way to the war zone.The majority of the people leaving for the Gulf are from Telangana districts, such as Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad, and coastal districts, such as East and West Godavari. Migration to the Gulf is not new in any of these districts, but the exodus to Iraq is creating much heartache for the families of the labourers. Most of them spend sleepless nights thinking about what has become of their loved ones.The youth are doing it out of sheer desperation.

The devastating drought conditions and lack of livelihood opportunities in the villages are forcing their hands. Several unemployed youth of Morthad, in Nizamabad, and Khanapur, in Adilabad, are now working in Iraq. The trend is catching on in other villages too.The story of Paidipally Dayakar, 35, of Chalgal village in Karimnagar district, is a typical instance.

Faced with acute poverty, Dayakar, a driver, migrated to Iraq, leaving behind his son, three daughters and elderly parents. He borrowed Rs 1.5 lakh from local moneylenders to pay the agents who promised to get him to Iraq. Dayakar's parents, P. Narayana and Lakshmi, are now very worried about their son. "A person claiming to be our son's colleague called us up and said he was working as a driver," said Narayana. "But our son has not called us. Nor has he written a letter. We hope he is safe." Lakshmi said between sobs that she would not have allowed her son to go abroad had she known that his destination was Iraq.

"Who will take care of these motherless children if something goes wrong," she asked.It is learnt that over 1,000 youth from Chalgal village, which has a total population of 5,000, migrated to different Gulf countries in the last few years. Several hundred of them are now in Iraq.Karimnagar collector C. Parthasarthi, however, said he was unaware of the migration to Iraq and that he would inquire into the matter.A sub-inspector of the immigration wing told this newspaper that most of the youth were employed for menial tasks in military camps, such as washing and ironing clothes and cooking food. "They get about $800-$1,000 a month, which is a big sum for them," he said, adding that there were many travel agents conducting dubious operations from Hyderabad and Mumbai. "Sometimes the travel documents say that a person is an AC mechanic, or an electrician, but most of them are agricultural labourers," he said. The majority of the people who leave for Gulf countries are poor. "We can hardly find a software engineer or a technically qualified person going to the Gulf these days," said the sub-inspector.Mumbai-based agent B. Rajesh admitted that some of the persons he had helped travel to Gulf countries might have gone to Iraq. "I don't have details," he said.Gannarapu Bhoomaiah, who runs Surya Chandra International agency at Metpally, said he was flooded with requests from youth who wanted to go to Iraq.

"However, I bluntly refused to accept their applications. I told them that the government had banned visits to Iraq," he said.But not all agents care about government regulations. Most of them collect amounts ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1.5 lakh from the youth after promising them good jobs in Iraq. The "selected" youth are then sent to Dubai on visitors' visas and, subsequently, to different destinations in Iraq through Dubai-based job agencies that have links with the travel agents.This is a risky venture since some of the youth end up in Dubai's jails after their visas expire. K. Ravi of Chelgal village said most of the youth were so frustrated with the lack of opportunity that they were willing to take the risk. "We have no work here," he said. Their Gulf dreams shattered, several youth from Karimnagar district who went in search of livelihoods have returned home from Iraq.Konka Mahesh, 23, of Mutyampet in Malyal mandal, returned home penniless after spending about one month at the base camp of US-led forces stationed on the outskirts of Baghdad. Two other youth from the same village - K. Ramana Reddy, 24, and S. Ramulu, 24 - also reached home after undergoing nightmarish experiences in Iraq. Three more youth from Mutyampet are currently working in the same camp, known as Victoria Camp.These youth landed in the "desert trap" after being lured by greedy sub-agents of Mumbai-based Gulf job recruiting agencies in the name of attractive jobs in Dubai. Scores of unemployed youth left for Dubai by paying exorbitant amounts, even as much as Rs 1.50 lakh each, taken as loans at high interest rates in the last couple of months.

The availability of cheap labour in Telangana has prompted several Dubai-based manpower recruiting agencies to send job requirement quotations to their allied agencies in Mumbai, Hyderabad and other cities to cater to the requirements of the allied forces, in defiance of the existing ban in India on travelling to Iraq for employment.A visibly shaken Mahesh said that he, along with eight others from Mutyampet, Thatipalli and Gollapalli, left for Dubai on June 23, 2004, by paying Rs 1.10 lakh each to a mandal based sub-agent. "After spending two days at Alkush area in Dubai, we were airlifted to Baghdad by a white man. We realised that we were in Iraq only after landing at Baghdad international airport," Mahesh said. "We were taken to a military camp 15 km from the airport where we were entrusted with tasks like cleaning clothes and washing utensils for $1,200 per month," he said. There were workers from Kerala, Gujarat and other parts of the country besides those from Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Adilabad and West Godavari districts, he recalled. "Though we were offered nutritious food, the constant fear of attacks by the rebels haunted us in the camps," he said.So what made him and the others return home? "The bullet injury suffered by one of our Pakistani colleagues while travelling with military troops to Baghdad frightened us. On that particular day we made up our minds to go back home," Mahesh said.Mahesh said they persuaded a "madam" at the camp to leave home by abstaining from work for a day.

"Three of us managed to arrive in Mumbai via Dubai with the help of the compassionate madam," he said. Laxmakka, Mahesh's mother, said that their family was now heavily in debt because her son's trip abroad, for which he had taken a large loan, had proved unsuccessful.The government has as yet not cared to find out ways to prevent the youth from going on this suicidal venture. In fact, the authorities have no information on the youth who have gone to the killing fields to make a life.When contacted, director-general of police Swaranjit Sen said, "There may be instances of youth going to Iraq through the Middle East. However, it's not at an alarming rate, otherwise it would have caught our attention." The DGP added that the police will probe the issue.

(Published in Deccan Chronicle and Asian Age on March 2, 2005)