ADILABAD: Atram Hanmanthu alias Karan, the militia commander of Mangi and Indervelli dalams (rank of district committee member) leaves the Maoist machinery in Adilabad district poorer in some areas. His killing in an encounter with the police on April 8 near his native village in Kerameri mandal will also ease some security-related pressure from the currently ongoing mass contact programmes of the State Government.

The killed naxalite was highly successful in recruitment of `casual' cadres on monthly retainers in recent times. This was because his extraordinary ability to stare danger in the eye thereby evoking a strange confidence among the simple villagers. He was involved in a few daring killings too.

Interaction with police

"The fact that he was moving very close to the Kerameri police station when the encounter took place exhibited his audacity. Besides there are other instances to portray him as a courageous person," revealed Adilabad Superintendent of Police Kripanand Tripathi Ujela.

On four occasions earlier, Karan actually interacted with the special party policemen when they came looking for him at Babejhari and Jodeghat villages. The policemen took this master of camouflage to be one of the villagers.

Karan's death will certainly put a halt on recruitment of casual cadres to carry out tasks like collection of extortion money.

"Karan was relevant to the Maoist scheme of things what with many new irrigation projects coming up in the district. The contractors are taken to be easy meat by the naxalites in their fund collection drive. His death would certainly cause a telling blow to the extremists' extortionist activities," the SP added.

With works costing over Rs. 1,300 crores going on at present the Maoist would have extorted a mind-boggling sum at the rate of three per cent of the estimated cost from the contractor.

It was perhaps in the fitness of things that the SP led the operation against Karan from the front.

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