Two Maoists were killed in an encounter at the Kadamba forest near Kagaznagar in Telangana’s Komaram Bheem Asifabad district. This is the third encounter in less than a month between the outlawed CPI (Maoist) party and state police.
One of the slain men is said to be the Chukkalu, a core member of the Mancherial- Asifabad action team, hailing from Chhattisgarh, while the other is still unidentified.
According to sources, the exchange of fire took place at the Vaddipeta-Pusuguppa forest area of Charla block at around 3 pm, when a special police team was combing the area following specific information that a team of Maoists was planning to carry out an attack on the people’s representatives and the security forces.
A sudden rise in Maoist activities during the Covid-19 lockdown has been seen, as a result of which the Telangana Police have frequented their visits in the tribal areas in the interiors of the state.
“We have zeroed in on two male Maoists, whose identity is yet to be established,” the SP said in a statement.
The encounter took place within 24 hours of the Maoists setting off a landmine at Pagidivagu bridge on Pedda Midisileru-Tippapuram road near Taliperu medium irrigation project on Sunday night.
The Maoists called for a bandh in the district on Sunday to protest the killing of their outfit’s commander Devalu alias Shankar in an alleged encounter with the police forces at Devarlagudem of Gundala block on September 3.
The SP said the exchange of fire lasted about 20 minutes. “On searching the area, the police found bodies of two male extremists. Police also seized two firearms – one SBBL and one pistol and two kit bags,” Dutt said, adding that the combing operations were still going on.
Charla inspector of police Boddu Ashok told reporters that the Maoists may have set off the IED just to create panic among the villagers and to cause destruction. “There were no injuries to anybody and no casualties,” he said.
The police recovered two separate letters written by the Maoist party’s Charla- Shabari Area Committee secretary Aruna and Mahadevpur-Eturnagaram Area Committee secretary Manthu from the spot where the explosion took place.
In the letters, the Maoist party called upon the people to condemn the killing of their colleague Dudi Devalu alias Shanker from Konta in Chhattisgarh in an alleged encounter with the police at Devarlagudem in Gundala block on 3rd September.
The Maoists had blasted the bridge over Pagidivagu three years ago and this is the second time that they resorted to explosions. The police believe that the extremists may have planted the IED during the construction of the road last year.