Andhra Pradesh   

Top Maoist leader killed in A.P. encounter

Special Correspondent

Ravikumar was a Central committee member

ONGOLE: A top Maoist leader, Mattam Ravikumar alias Sridhar alias Anil, was killed in an encounter with the police in the interior Nallamala forest area on Friday. While two other Maoists escaped, the police later recovered one AK 47 riffle, one 303 riffle, four kitbags and literature from the spot.

According to the police, Mattam Ravikumar was a member of State and Central Committees of the CPI (Maoist). He was considered an intellectual who was involved actively in policy-making and giving direction to the extremist movement. He drafted the documents for the State and Central Committees. Technology savvy, Ravikumar was the first among Maoists to use palmtop computer. He was also a member of the propaganda committee. Ravikumar, who belonged to Tandur in Ranga Reddy district, was an engineering graduate and joined the extremist party in 1986. He wrote several articles under the pen name of Manjeera. Being a Central Committee member, he carried a reward of Rs. 15 lakh on his head.

It is stated that a special party of police got information that Ravikumar had come to Nallamala forest. Acting on the information, the police began combing the forest area and spotted Ravikumar along with two other Maoists at Pitchiraju thanda, 25 km from Yerragondapalem. On seeing the police, Maoists opened fire and the police retaliated.

After the shootout, the police searched the area and found Ravikumar lying dead in a pool of blood. The police said that the other two naxalites, who were injured, managed to escape. CPI (Maoist) State secretary Madhav called some select newspapers to condemn the killing. He paid glowing tributes to Ravikumar for serving the extremist movement for over 30 years. He said that his death would be an irreparable loss to the extremist movement. He squarely blamed Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Director-General of Police Swaranjit Sen for continuing repression on the movement and encounter killings. He said that Maoists would take revenge.

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