Hyderabad : The outlawed Naxal organisation Communist Party of India (Maoist) suffered a major setback with police killing two of its most important leaders in the state in two separate encounters. They were central committee member Shakamuri Appa Rao alias Ravi and the Telangana regional coordinator Solipeta Kondal Reddy alias Tech Ramanna.
Police said that while Shakamuri Appa Rao was killed in an encounter in the Nallamalla forest area near Netikonda village in Pullalachervu mandal of Prakasham district, 450km south of Hyderabad, Kondal Reddy was killed in Kodishala village in Tadvai mandal of the Warangal district early yesterday morning. Two AK-47 rifles were recovered from both incident scenes.
While Appa Rao carried a reward of Rs1.2 million (Dh0.09 million) on his head, there was a reward of Rs500,000 on the head of Konda Reddy.
Though police claimed both incidents to be separate, known sympathisers of Maoists and the civil rights activists have alleged both the Maoist leaders were arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police three days ago near Pune and they were killed in cold blood in fake encounters.
"Today's incidents are just like hundreds of other fake encounters. It is part of the Green Hunt operation launched by P Chidambaram. Both the state Chief Minister Rosaiah and Home Minister Chidambaram were aware of the arrests and fake encounters were carried with their approval", alleged popular folk singer Ghaddar.
Revolutionary Writers' Association leader and poet Vara Vara Rao also alleged that both the Maoist leaders were killed in a staged encounter.
"Instead of producing them in the court and trying them, police took the law in their own hands and killed them. We have information that many other Maoists are in police custody. I demand that they should be produced in the court", Vara Vara Rao said.
Some supporters point out Appa Rao alone was killed and there was no loss of life on the part of police.
"If a senior leader like Appa Rao was present in the area, at least 12 bodyguards should have been there with them and they would have encountered the police first before reaching the leader", one of the Maoists sympathisers said.
V Naveen Chand, Prakasham district superintendent of police said that the encounter took place after a team of police spotted four Naxalites and encircled the place. In the ensuing encounter one of them died and he was identified as Shakhamuri Appa Rao, he said. An AK-47 rifle was recovered from the scene of the incident.
The body of Appa Rao, with his right hand covering his eyes, was lying in a clearing amid bushes in a forest area with a couple of used bullets lying around. An AK-47 rifle was also lying slightly away from him.
