Madhava Rao leaves us who faced lifelong struggle for civil rights – Harsh Thakor

We hereby share an obituary we have received done by Harsh Thakor.

Well known civil rights leader and former president of Human Rights Forum senior lawyer Gorrepati Madhava Rao (67) expired on Saturday in Nizamabad while undergoing medical treatment. Till his last breath he battled the forces of oppression. One of the great warriors for cause of civil liberties who burned the torch to continue the legacy of the civil rights movement.

The accomplished lawyer suffered a stroke on Friday and was admitted into a private hospital in Nizamabad before he passed away in the morning. The mortal remains of late Madhava Rao would be donated to Government Medical College, Nizamabad on Sunday while the eyes were donated to the Lions Club. His parents moved from Repalle in Guntur district and settled down in Baswapur in Kotagiri mandal of Nizamabad district in 1957, months after he was born.

Born on March 4, 1957, Mr. Madhava Rao was drawn towards the Left movement shaped by the influence of Jampala Chandrashekhar Prasad, founder of Progressive Democratic Students Union (PDSU) during his college days.

He completed his graduation from City College, Hyderabad and attained a degree in Law from Osmania University. During his college days, he gained his political baptism in the Progressive Democratic Students Union and actively participated in the PDSU movement in the university.

Returning to Nizamabad in 1992, late Madhava Rao began his legal practice in Nizamabad District Court. Popular for raising his bold voice exposing alleged encounters of naxalites and sympathisers, he operated closely with Civil Liberties leader late Balagopal and others. He fought cases on behalf of the families of the victims of alleged police encounters and in some cases secured compensation for the victims. He was also credited with arguing the Aurangabad Conspiracy Case.

In over hundreds of cases he defended several revolutionary activists, bailed hundreds, got cases dropped and released innocent people.

He argued on behalf of five members of the Revolutionary Writers Association (Virasam) and a former CPI (Maoist) State Committee member, who were arrested on fabricated charges in 2005 in Nizamabad and charged under Sections 120 (B), 121 (A) and 122 of IPC on June 2.

Arguing that case, Mr. Madhava Rao noted that there was no material available which could incriminate or testify that any of the accused procured arms, men or ammunition or made any preparation to wage war against the Government of India. The judge in 2010 acquitted the five accused persons — Virasam convener Pinakapani and its members — Yamasani Surender, Chenchaiah, N. Venugopal and Ravikumar besides CPI (Maoist) State Committee member Ganti Prasadam.

He also translated articles on the Chinese Commmunist party into Telugu.

The Coordination Committee of Human Rights Forum (AP and Telangana) led by S. Jeevan Kumar, Vasanth Lakshmi, V. S. Krishna and A. Chandrashekhar recalled his relentless contribution to the civil rights movement and in preparation of reports on violation of human rights. They said his campaign to build awareness on human rights in the country was phenomenal. Revolutionary writer N Venugopal saluted his lifelong contribution to liberation. Also mourned by many activists of Virasam.

Harsh Thakor is freelance journalist been close to civil liberties movement for four decades and in touch with human rights movement in India, particularly Telengana and Andhra Pradesh. Thanks information from N Venugopal of journal Veekshanam, the Hindu and Human Rights Forum .