The Hindu : Front Page : Maoists raid station in Vizianagaram dt.

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Monday, Jul 30, 2007
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Maoists raid station in Vizianagaram dt.

Special Correspondent

VISAKHAPATNAM: The CPI (Maoist) on Sunday raided the Koneru railway station in Vizianagaram district on the Orissa border and damaged railway property worth over Rs. 30 lakh.

According to Vizianagaram Superintendent of Police Vikram Singh Mann, 15 Maoists, including five women, went to the Koneru railway station in the early hours, burnt the records and damaged a sophisticated control panel in the station master’s cabin.

Before leaving the place they took away Rs. 442 in cash from the ASM and a wireless set.

Note found

The SP and other local police personnel went to the railway station close to Rayagada district of Orissa located about 120 km from Vizianagaram and found that the Maoists left a small note saying that they had done this because one of their colleagues, Dharma, was picked up by the police and his whereabouts were not known.

He should be released immediately, they demanded.

“But it is not correct. No person by name Dharma is with the police. The allegation is not at all true,” Mr. Mann said, adding that if there was any anti-social element, the police were bound to take action. The Maoists’ action disrupted train services for nearly two hours on the route in the morning inconveniencing the passengers who voiced their protests, the police said.

They also opined that someone could have run away from the Maoist party that was now trying a sort of cover-up by blaming the police.

Mine goes off

Meanwhile, a pressure mine planted by the Maoists near Mallikarjunaswamy temple on the outskirts of Koyyuru went off accidentally on Sunday.

None was injured in the blast. Police said that it went off when a cow stepped over it and dragged some cables. A red flag was hoisted at the area where the mine was planted.

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