KIN SAYS THERE WAS NO SEARCH WARRANT

The men who came to the house told his wife Hemaltha that they do not need the warrants, as Rao was already booked in the case as an accused, said Varavara’s nephew, Venugopal.

Soon after the police entered Varavara Rao’s house, several activists of various human rights organisations staged a protest in front of the revolutionary poet’s house carrying placards condemning his arrest as well as the search operation.

“How far is it justifiable when about 20 policemen in civil dress knock on the door of an activist and subject his family members to harassment?” questioned Venugopal, Varavara Rao’s nephew and also the editor of Veekshanam magazine.

“A former Supreme Court judge had earlier said that the letters recovered by the police were false and the name of Rao was intentionally used in those six letters to implicate him. The men who came to Rao’s house did not carry a search warrant and not even an arrest warrant. They told his wife Hemaltha that they did not need the warrants, as Rao was already booked in the case as an accused,” he said.

Condemning Rao’s arrest, Gitanjali, city convener of Virasam said, “The police are wrongly implicating Rao, only to stop him from raising his voice against police atrocities. None of these cases will last as he was never involved in conspiracies.”

Virasam member Y Ramachandram said, “It is an effort by the government to suppress the public from questioning their fake encounters. They wanted to loot invaluable minerals from the forests where tribals live and evacuate them from these forests. When Rao questioned this, the government was unable to bear that pressure and wants to keep him behind bars. But, that will not stop the fight.”