P. Balaraju

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VISAKHAPATNAM: In stepped up violence, Maoists blasted the house of former MLA and Congress leader Pasupuleti Balaraju in the small hours of Sunday.

According to information reaching here, five Maoists woke up Balaraju's mother, asked her to come out and blasted the house. The tiled house was partially damaged, it was learnt.

The blasting of Balaraju's house followed the setting afire of a Forest Department's jeep by Maoists and exchange of fire between the Police and Maoists on Saturday night.

The Maoists came to the house, about one and a half km. away from the GK Veedhi police station, around 1.30 a.m. and blasted the house by exploding two landmines, the police said. Before triggering the blast, they asked Mr. Balaraju's aged mother to come out. Some relatives keep her company during the day but at night she stays alone, it was learnt.

Mr. Balaraju has not been staying in the house for a long time. The former MLA was kidnapped in 1993 and was held captive by naxalites for more than three weeks to secure the release of their leader Kranti Ranadev.

Note of warning

In a letter reportedly left at the blast site, Maoists warned that Congress leaders would pay a heavy price if "fake encounters'' were not stopped. They maintained that Mr. Balaraju's alleged support for bauxite mining in the Agency area was one of the reasons for blasting the house.

Maoists have been campaigning for `boycott'' of the local bodies' elections scheduled for July 2 and warning against contesting in the polls in the tribal area.

Maoists warned the MPTC nominees of Garimanda and Boodaralla in Koyyuru mandal of the district to retire from the contest.

Maoists reportedly went to the houses of the nominees on Sunday and warned them that any attempt to campaign would not be tolerated.

In the nearby Pedabayalu mandal also they had canvassed against the elections. The series of incidents on Saturday are likely to have an impact on the campaigning in the 11 mandals of the Agency area. Maoists resort to blasting of political leaders' houses before elections.

In the past, they had blasted the houses of former minister Matsarasa Balaraju and a former TDP MLA M.V. Satyanarayana before the elections.

Janashakti leader held

In another development, the police arrested CPI(M) Janashakti leader Sheik Nazeer and another activist P. Kadiraiah at PP Gunta near Badwel in Kadapa district. The police said 100 gelatin sticks and 10 detonators were recovered from the arrested persons.

According to reports, the police arrested Nazeer who was the former district secretary of the party eight months and let off after some time as he announced his retirement from the Janashakti activities.

In Hyderabad, the Human Rights Forum demanded that the police produce Nazeer in court immediately.

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