The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : No let-up in naxal-related violence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jan 20, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

No let-up in naxal-related violence

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, JAN. 19. Violence escalated in the State again today with the police killing a Maoist member in an encounter in Anantapur district and the naxalites going on the rampage in Karimnagar district ahead of Thursday's State-wide bandh.

The Maoists shot dead a Telugu Desam activist in Anantapur at Kalagall village in Kudair Mandal late on Tuesday night.

A ten-member dalam forced five persons out of their houses after throwing a bomb to terrorise villagers who gathered. They shot dead Ramaiah (42) alleging that he had helped the killers of their sympathiser.

Hours after this killing, a CPI (Maoist) dalam member was shot dead in an encounter with the police near J. Rampuram village in Vajrakarur mandal. Police said the extremists threw a bomb and opened fire on a special party during combing operations. One naxalite, identified as Nagaraju (26), was killed in the retaliatory fire by the police while four others escaped.

Two buses torched

In Karimnagar district, naxalites torched two RTC buses and attacked public representatives. Seven armed men of the Janashakti went to Mallareddypet village of Gambhiraopeta mandal and woke up the bus crew that had halted for the night. They forced the driver and the conductor to take the vehicle to the village outskirts. They then set it afire.

In a separate incident, the Maoists set fire to an RTC bus in the interior Marrimadla village outskirts of Konaraopeta mandal.

They forced the crew to take the bus to a remote place and set the vehicle ablaze. They urged people to observe the bandh on Thursday in protest against encounters and combing operations.

In another incident, Janashakti naxalites thrashed the Konaraopeta mandal parishad vice-president, G. Yellaiah Yadav of the TRS in Dharmaram village.

Mr. Yadav immediately announced his resignation from his post and the party.

An uneasy calm prevailed in Karimnagar district in view of the bandh call. The police are making elaborate arrangements to avoid any untoward incident during the bandh.

The RTC authorities were told to curtail its services into interior villages.

In Guntur district, armed Maoists destroyed a licensed liquor shop in Mallavolu village of Machavaram Mandal.

Twenty-five activists, armed with country-made bombs, axes and sticks, came in a tractor-trailer and destroyed the shop and took away Rs. 7,000 in cash.

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