Andhra Pradesh - Nalgonda   

Scribes lose their way in Maddimadugu forest

S.Ramu

Go through almost same experience of the Kadapa-based journalists

TOUGH TREK: Special party police team climbing a rocky hillock with the body of a naxalite at Maddimadugu forest area on Monday

NALGONDA: Close on the heels of the horrific experience of six Kadapa-based journalists on duty deep inside Seshachalam forest last week, nine scribes of Mahabubnagar fought against all odds on an inhospitable terrain to reach Pidakalapentagutta, where four Maoists were killed by special party policemen on Sunday evening.

They trekked about 25 kilometers without water and food on Sunday. But for the special launch Agastya, which was used to shift the four bodies from the site to the Government hospital at Nagarjunasagar, the Mahabubnagar journalists would have met the similar fate of their Kadapa counterparts.

"I thought it was the end of our lives. Luckily, we could come in contact with the launch crew and police," Veluri Narayanappa, Staff-Reporter, Ee-TV told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The journalists, who started at their district headquarters at 3.30 am, reached Maddimadugu in Amrabad mandal after travelling 170 kms in two hired jeeps. As none of the villagers dared to accompany them fearing a backlash from naxals and police, the nine duty-minded journalists ventured into the forest on their own.

Arrow marks

They blindly followed some arrow marks they found on rocks in the forest with a strong belief that it could lead them to the encounter site. After walking some distance, however, they lost their way. They consumed all six litres of water they bought at Maddimadugu during their aimless trekking.

"A Grey Hounds team, which was sieving the forest, took position mistaking us as naxalites. We raised our hands indicating our surrender and shouted with a high pitch that we were journalists on duty," one of the team members said. The police searched their equipment and showed the right path to reach the encounter spot.

After walking on rough terrain for more than four hours with parched throatsthey could locate Agastya in Krishna waters. "The special party policemen were kind to give us glucose and biscuits. We had to accept boondi, a type of eatable, that the police had found in the Maoists' kitbags," Mr.Narayanappa revealed.

"Had they not reached the spot on time, our launch would have returned with the naxals' bodies. Then a helicopter would have been needed to locate them just like the Seshachalam incident," a constable commented.

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