The police and the underground cadre of the CPI (ML-New Democracy) Chandranna faction, headed by Ramanna, allegedly exchanged fire in the Siddaram forest area in Tekulapally mandal on Thursday morning.
No casualties were reported in the exchange of fire that reportedly lasted for about 15 minutes.
The incident occurred during a combing operation by the police in the Siddaram forest area in the early hours of the day. A gun battle ensued between the police and a 25-member squad in the dense forest area shortly after dawn.
Chase
The police apprehended one of the underground cadres of the squad after a chase soon after the exchange of fire stopped. He was identified as Madivi Bheema alias Gowtham, 19, of Narsampeta in Palvancha mandal, police sources said.
The police subsequently seized two 8 mm rifles, a revolver and an airgun besides 54 live rounds of ammunition, 11 kit bags and six olive green dresses from the incident site.
Bheema was allegedly involved, along with other members of the squad, in the last month’s murder of Rayala Bhaskar, a farmer of Narsampeta.
Meanwhile, the activists of the CPI (ML-ND) led by the Khammam town committee secretary Satyanarayana took out a protest rally in Khammam on Thursday condemning the ‘Siddaram incident’.
