The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Three naxals surrender

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 26, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Three naxals surrender

By Our Correspondent

KAKINADA, MAY 25. Three naxalites belonging to the People's War, including the commander of the Palakajeedi dalam, Madakam Suribabu alias Mahesh (20), and two women members, Jalumuru Someswari alias Devi (15) and Madakam Satyavati alias Rajitha (18), surrendered before Govind Singh, Superintendent of Police, here on Tuesday.

Suribabu belongs to E.Ramavaram village of Gangavaram Mandal in East Godavari, Somesweri hails from Gujjumanupakalu village in Visakhapatnam district, while Satyavati is from Dabbapalem village in East Godavari. The Superintendent of Police, Govind Singh, while introducing them to the newsmen in his chambers, said that Suribabu had surrendered through the Project officer I.T.D.A while the two girls had straight away come to him on foot all the way from the agency area on Tuesday noon.

He said that no cases were being booked against them but all efforts would be made for their early rehabilitation so that they join the mainstream. Mr Govind Singh said that the total number of important naxals who surrendered before him during his tenure here had gone up to seven. He said that Suribabu carries a reward of Rs 20,000 on him, which was subsequently raised to Rs.50,000, and the amount would be paid to him in due course.

Suribabu, who was considered a hardcore naxal, was involved in as many as seven incidents, including the raid on the Anakapalle police station in Visakhapatnam district in August 2002, and whisking away of 15 muskets and 200 rounds of ammunition. The last involvement was on April 20 in the attack on the polling station at Palakajeedi village and snatching two electronic voting machines and two jeeps, threatening the polling staff. Both the women naxalites also took part in the attack on the polling station.

Suribabu and the two women naxalites told newsmen that they were disillusioned by the way the naxal movement was being organized and as such decided to surrender with the hope of joining the mainstream.

Meanwhile, Mr Singh claimed that the naxal movement in the agency area of East Godavari district has almost weakened and the strength of the three dalams - Palakajeedi , Gurtedu and Konalova - had dropped to a handful of members. While the major dalam operating in the district was Konalova, the other two dalams are mostly confined to neighbouring Visakhapatnam district.

Now with the surrender of three dalam members, the dalams are truncated and left with hardly half a dozen members with all the dalams put together.

He said that the dalam members are in a disarray with the lack of support from the local tribals. The hard life had also brought in them a change making them get disenchanted with the movement.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh