Rights activist Kannabiran dead

HYDERABAD - Eminent human rights activist and lawyer K.G. Kannabiran passed away here Thursday after a brief illness. He was 82.

He is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.

The last rites of Kannabiran were performed Thursday night at Maredpally in Secunderabad.

Andhra Pradesh Panchayat Raj Minister K. Jana Reddy and Maoist sympathizers Gaddar and Varavara Rao were among those who attended the funeral.

Hailing from Nellore district, Kannabiran was associated with the movement against staged shootouts or extrajudicial killings for over two decades.

Kannabiran founded the People’s Union for Civil Liberties in 1994 and was also president of the Andhra Pradesh Civil Rights Committee (APCRC) for 15 years.

Kannabiran filed many cases against the police over staged shootouts.

He served on the V.M. Tarkunde Committee and the Bhargava Commission, both constituted to inquire into alleged staged shootouts by police.

As a member of Committee of Concerned Citizens, he played a key role in bringing the government and the Maoists to the first-ever direct peace talks in 2004.

The government also used his services on a few occasions to hold talks with the Maoists for the release of hostages.