Southern States - Andhra Pradesh   

A major blow to PW

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR Oct. 25. The killing of two naxalites belonging to the banned People's War (PW) -- Radhakka alias Lathakka and Madhu alias Kaumudi -- in the Bollapalli forest area in Guntur district on Friday is a major blow to the PW. This is the first-ever major setback suffered by the PW after the outlawed group attacked the Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu. While Radhakka is the district committee member (DCM) of the PW's Guntur district unit, Kaumudi is the district committee secretary (DCS) of Visakhapatnam. He is also member of the Andhra-Orissa Border military commission.

The Narasaraopet DSP, Suryaprakasa Rao, put out the official version of the encounter. The police, on a tip-off, went for combing in the fringes of Nallamala forest area and they noticed about 20 naxalites assembling at one place. The encounter occurred between 6 a.m. and 6.30 a.m. While no policeman sustained any injury, the bodies of Radhakka and Kaumudi were found lying at the scene. The police recovered a 9 mm carbine from Kaumudi and a .38 revolver from Radhakka. They also recovered kit bags in which warning letters addressed to the TDP leaders of Macherla area -- G. Mallikarjuna Rao, Kota Saidaiah, Y. Narayana, Ramakotaiah, Bhima Janardhan and Brahmananda Reddy -- demanding their resignation from the party were found.

There was a poster, which comprised a warning that policemen of Durgi, Karempudi, Macherla and Bollapalli were harassing the people and that they would have to face serious consequences. There was another poster in which the PW warned the Superintendent of Police for "encouraging informers and coverts''. A pamphlet highlighting the "success'' of the tactical counter offensive campaign (TCOC), a few soap-box bombs, Rs. 15,000 in the bag of Kaumudi and Rs. 2,500 in the bag of Radhakka were also recovered. However, doubts were raised by rights activists. Villagers of Venkatareddypuram, an adjoining habitation, when asked by visiting newsmen, said they did not remember having heard any gunshots.

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