Secretary CPI (Maoists) Andhra Orissa Border Special Zonal Committee Chandramouli termed the death of three Maoists in an exchange of fire with the police in Nallamalla forests on June 21 as a fake encounter.
In a statement sent to media here, he claimed that the police had captured Maoists Ashok, Bharati and Vimala and tortured them before staging a fake encounter at Murarikurava Vaagu on the banks of Krishna river on the borders of Prakasam, Guntur and Mahaboobnagar districts. He contested the claims of IG Sunil Kumar that the police had recovered an AK47, an SLR and a .303 rifle from the site of the encounter and that fourth extremist, Srinivas alias Vikram, was injured and had escaped.
In 2006 when the CPI (Maoist) party decided to withdraw from Nallamalla after it had become weak there, Maoist Baburao along with Bharati and Vimala had decided to stay back due to sentimental attachment to the place. They were working with the Chenchus there for the past eight years and helping rebuild the party base there. They were carrying only .303 rifles and tapanchas for their self defence and did not possess any automatic or semi-automatic weapons, Chandramouli said.
The presence of the fourth Maoist, as claimed by the police, indicated that it was a stage-managed encounter, he said. Vikram had worked in the party in Mahaboobnagar and after his arrest the party believes that he had become an agent of the police.
After N. Chandrababu Naidu took over reins, the government resumed its pro-World Bank stance and decided to crush the Maoists. The encounter was a part of the plan, AOB SZC secretary claimed. On the one hand the police adopted repressive measures against the Maoists and on the other Deputy Chief Minister Chinna Rajappa was inviting Maoists to come for talks.
The Telugu Desam Party leaders and Mr. Chandrababu Naidu would have to pay for the fake encounter killings of Maoists, he said.
