The Hindu : Police pin down PW in Nizamabad

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 31, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Police pin down PW in Nizamabad

By Ravi Reddy

NIZAMABAD DEC. 30. The activities of the banned People's War this year hit a new low with the underground outfit finding it difficult to even recruit youth into the party fold and their desperation is quite evident with only 10 armed naxals moving in the district.

The year was relatively peacefully for the naxals as well as the police. The stepped up combing operations by the police thoroughly put a check on the movement of the underground cadre. The extremists failed to win the hearts of villagers. Their alienation from the rural masses was another visible aspect this year.

Very few youths were weaned away by the PW leadership but they were in for a shock when most of them surrendered after a few months' stint, which they tried to forget. The violent acts by the naxals also saw a decline. While there were 38 incidents reported last year, the naxals this year committed eight offences, including one murder and the latest blasting of a rail engine.

Barring this the naxals maintained low profile by trying to revive their activities through old contacts. The former militant network was tried to be strengthened but the non-cooperation from villagers and the decision of rural people to pass resolution not to allow extremists into the village had a far reaching affect on the morale of the cadre.

The beleaguered party had a miserable run this year in the district after the encounter of the District Committee member, Ilanna and followed by the killing of the District Committee secretary, Padmakka and the death of Manda Ramesh, the National Highway Local Guerrilla Squad. The death of Ilanna and Padmakka, left a deep void. This left the party in Nizamabad without a successor for almost six months.

The senior most leader, Swamy alias Loketi Chander, used to handle the responsibilities in the district till the PW high command decided to depute Ramakrishna alias Pollam Sudarshan Reddy, also know as RK as the Division Committee secretary. Ramakrishna, has begun the task of reviving party activities and is said to be visiting the previous stronghold villages. An expert in urban guerrilla warfare, RK's style of functioning is expected to cause concern among police officials. The PW has not yet gone on the offensive and rather maintained cautious approach.

On the other hand, the district police adopted three-pronged strategy to continue pressure on the naxals. The continued combing operations, coupled with an appeal to the families of the underground cadre to ensure their wards' surrender and regular counselling sessions had the desired impact. A direct fallout was the surrender of 54 extremists this year alone. The police continued its drive against the extremist and in the process recovered PW dumps in the forest area. In all, 22 such dumps were recovered by the police which included explosives, olive green uniform and other articles.

The Parivartana Sadassus conducted by the district police, ensured that 176 former extremists were liberated and all the sheets against them in the police stations were removed. They were allowed to lead normal life without being pressured to attend police stations regularly. The village visit programmes by the Superintendent of police, Shanka Brata Bagchi, saw several naxal stronghold villages taking an oath to keep naxalites at bay.

`Informer' shot dead

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR Dec. 30. Naxalites belonging to CPI-ML (Janashakthi) killed a police informer, Sk. Khasim, at Piduguralla in Guntur district on Monday.

According to the Superintendent of Police, Ravishankar Ayyanar, at least five naxalites of Janashakthi went to the house of Khasim and called him out in the early hours of Monday. He rejected their plea that he should accompany them. However, they dragged him out and took him along with them to Ramannakunta canal near "Bellamkonda donka'' and shot him dead. There were five bullet injuries on his body.

Khasim, who worked in the People's War, surrendered to the police in 1995 and joined the mainstream. Ever since, he had been selling bananas to eke out his living. He was an accused in a case of bus-burning at Julakallu of Piduguralla mandal in 1993.

The Janashakthi naxalites left a letter in the pocket of Khasim. They said they had done away with him as he was meeting the police in a hotel regularly and was informing them about the activities of the Janashakthi group. They held him responsible for the arrest of three Janashakthi activists recently in Guntur district, said Dr. Ayyanar.

Khasim is survived by wife, a son and a daughter. The Piduguralla police registered a case and are investigating.

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