The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Two naxals killed in encounter, two surrender

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 21, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Two naxals killed in encounter, two surrender

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, FEB. 20. In a major incident in recent times after the peace talks initiative, two naxalites were killed in an exchange of fire between the CPI (Maoist) and police parties of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa at a Maoist training camp in the agency area on the Andhra Pradesh-Orissa border today. Two Maoists surrendered with weapons after the firing.

In yet another landmine blast, triggered by the Maoists, a police party escaped with minor injuries.

The joint operation against the Maoists was launched at Dulagandi village under Kalimela police station of Orissa after receipt of information that a training camp was being held with the aim of raiding a police station for arms.

When a police party went there, it came under heavy fire and was forced to return the fire. The exchange of fire lasted half-an-hour.

Of the two slain naxalites, one had a .303 rifle in his possession and the other, who was a woman, carried a single barrel weapon, three grenades and a tapancha.

A further search of the area revealed two dalam members, who surrendered.

An SLR and a .303 rifle were seized from the surrendered naxalites, police said.

Landmine blast

Earlier, at around 10 a.m., naxalites triggered six landmines at Bodigedda on the northern side of Sileru, targeting another police party visiting the village but the policemen managed to escape with minor injuries.

The police had returned the fire and later found nine live landmines there.

From the material seized at Dulagandi, it appeared to be a major training camp for the Maoists.

A generator, a photo-stat machine, 10 bundles of olive-green uniform, three sewing machines, an iron, three grenades, a cartful of ration and three tents were recovered.

Second operation

The joint operation was launched after receipt of reliable information that naxalites were planning to repeat their attack on a police station for snatching arms as they did in Koraput last February.

It was the second joint operation by police of the two States. In one such exercise in Chitrakonda in 2003, a weapon-manufacturing unit was unearthed.

Activist jumps to death

In Karimnagar district, an active militant of the CPI (Maoist) and panchayat ward member of Marripalli village of Kataram mandal reportedly jumped to death from the Prathap hillocks of the mandal in the presence of police parties.

Involved in 3 incidents

Police sources said the police parties picked up K. Tirupathi, who was involved in three incidents, including blasting of a forest guesthouse in Kataram and the MPP's house at Bommapur village.

He took the police to the hillocks, saying he would show them a Maoist dump.

He led them to a dump from which the police could recover some empty cartridges and two barrels of 8 mm rifle.

Later, the militant said he would lead them to another dump.

But suddenly, he took to his heels and jumped from the 100-metre-high hillock. He died on the spot.

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