Maoists warn govt of retaliation

Bhupalpally/Bhadrachalam: Contrary to the speculation, it’s now official that there was no top Maoist leader among those, who were killed in Friday’s encounter that took place at Pujari Kanker forest region in Chhattisgarh, close on Telangana border near Venkatapuram in Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district.

However, the banned outfit lost one of its North Telangana Special Zonal Committee member and action team commander Dadaboina Swamy alias Prabhakar of Rampet under Kazipet mandal, a suburban village of Warangal. The police, who airlifted two bodies on Friday, shifted bodies of other eight Maoists to Bhadrachalam for post-mortem on Saturday.

Bhadradri-Kothagudem Superintendent of Police Ambar Kishore Jha clarified that seven of the 10 Maoists, who lost their life in the encounter were women. Earlier, it was reported that six were women and four were men.

Meanwhile, a letter purportedly released by CPI-Maoist official representative Jagan, which is doing rounds on the social networking sites, clarified that neither Hari Bhushan nor Bade Chokka Rao and Kankanala Raji Reddy died in the encounter as rumours floated by the police.

Further the statement, which rejected police’s claims of encounter, said that police opened firing unilaterally against their cadres, who at that time were relaxing speaking to the locals.
“A betrayer’s tip-off allowed the police swoop down on the Maoist camp,” the letter said. But for Dadaboina Swamy of Warangal district, all others belong to Sukma and Dantewada districts, the letter said, criticising the police’s dillydallying tactics in revealing the names of those died in the encounter. 

This apart, it’s a ploy to demoralise the Maoists and create confusion among the people, the 
letter said. Jagan said that both Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh, who were determined to handover forest resources to Corporate forces, are resorting to ‘encounter’ those supporting the cause of the Adivasis. The ruling TRS leaders will pay for it, the letter warned, asserting that they were ready to retaliate.  

Those identified are: Dadaboina Swamy, DCM, CRB Press; Ithu of Thippapuram, Dalam member; Budri of Singam, CG, Dalam member; Rame of Veerapuram (Sukma), CRC Doctor’s team, ACM; Mallesh of Indravathi, CG, CRC, A-Section Commander; Kamala of West Bastar, Dalam member; Kosi of Rangai Gudem, CRC Dalam member; Sukki of Gangloor, Dalam member; Ratna of Bijapur, Dalam member; Sombi, Dalam member.

It’s learnt that Dadaboina Swamy who belonged to Rampet village near Kazipet, joined the banned outfit some 20 years ago. He worked as a teacher in a private school, it’s learnt.