Mulugu: Trouble brewing in tribal hinterland

Mulugu: Life turning out to be miserable for the Adivasis with the police-Maoists stand-off reaching a flash point in the last couple of weeks. Virtually, a war-like situation is prevailing in the Agency with the police going all out to suppress the left-wing extremism (LWE) in the region and the Maoists reluctant to step back.

The otherwise sleepy forest fringe villages abutting River Godavari are now witnessing the rumbling of combat boots with the police and banned outfit engaged in a sort of hide-and-seek game.

The top cops' in-camera meeting in the Naxal stronghold Venkatapuram in which Senior Security Advisor to Union Home Ministry K Vijay Kumar, the former chief of Tamil Nadu police special task force that killed forest brigand Veerappan in 2004, Telangana DGP M Mahender Reddy and others took part, indicates the grit of the police to tramp down the Maoist insurgency. However, exactly a week after, the Maoists killed TRS leader Maduri Bheemeshwar Rao near Venkatapuram, indicating that they are ready to confront the police.

The cops, who took it as a challenge, gunned down two Maoists in an encounter near Mangapet on Sunday (October 18). This is the second encounter in erstwhile Warangal district after the formation of Telangana. It may be recalled here that M Tech student Sruthi and Vidyasagar Reddy were killed near Govindraopet in September 2015.

Meanwhile, the speculation is rife that security forces tracked down the whereabouts of the slain Maoists with the tip-off given by Midiyam Chinna Chinnalakshmaiah who surrendered before the police on October 17.

The developments indicate that police are leaving no stone unturned to hunt the Maoists. Besides intensifying combing operations, the cops also kept an eagle eye on Adivasis, especially the Gothi Koyas. It may be noted here that cops are always suspicious about the Gothi Koyas that they were supporting the ultras.