Poet Varavara Rao, others detained in Hyderabad

Poet and Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao and several others were today taken into preventive custody from various parts of the city.

Police had yesterday denied permission for a public meeting and a procession to 'Pratyamnaya Rajakeeya Vedika' (Forum for Political Alternative), on the ground that it was a frontal organisation of the banned outfit CPI (Maoist).

"Permission had already been denied for their seminar, rally and meeting. However, Rao and others were going ahead with the programmes, so they were taken into preventive custody," Deputy Commissioner of Police V B Kamalasan Reddy said.

Poet G Kalyan Rao was taken into custody in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh while Jeetan Marandi, a singer from Jharkhand, was taken into custody here, police said.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Amarkanth Reddy said police detained the forum members at Sundaraiah Vignana Kendram here.

Rao's application to the police said the meeting was being held to review the progress in the ten years of 'United Revolutionary Movement', police said.

While refusing permission, the police said the pamphlet released by PRV says that CPI (Maoist) was the only alternative to the present democratic system.

This indicated that the meeting was only for propagating the ideology of the banned outfit and for facilitating recruitment into the CPI (Maoist) party, the DCP said.

"There are reliable inputs that in the guise of participants, some underground cadres of CPI (Maoists) are likely to reach Hyderabad," he said.