Two more Maoists killed in Malkangiri

Intensive combing is on to nab those who escaped the joint strike on Monday; police deny RK is in their custody

The funeral of Prabhakar, a Maoist killed in a police encounter at Malkangiri on Monday, was held on Thursday. — Photo: AFP

Two more cadres of the the banned CPI (Maoist) party were gunned down on Thursday as combing in the dense forests near Pansaput in the Malkangiri district of Odisha, bordering Andhra Pradesh, continued. The operation to nab those who escaped the joint strike by the Andhra Pradesh Greyhounds and Odisha’s Special Operation Group on Monday is on.

Maoists’ charge

Rights activists, meanwhile, have accused the police of holding the party’s important leader, Akkiraju Haragopal, alias Ramakrishna, alias RK, and another top leader, Uday.

Twenty-four leaders and cadres of the Maoist party were killed in an exchange of fire on Monday and four killed on Tuesday as the police continued to scour the area.

Visakhapatnam Superintendent of Police Rahul Dev Sharma told The Hindu earlier on Thursday that two weapons were recovered from the scene, but the identity of the two killed could not be established immediately.

The bodies were shifted to Malkangiri.

Intensive combing was on in the area where the exchange of fire took place, according to reports received here.

Rights activists and revolutionary writer Varavara Rao, Kalyana Rao, G. Haragopal and others alleged that the police were holding RK and some others in their custody and demanded that no harm should be done to them.

‘A ploy’

However, when contacted, Mr. Sharma, who has returned from Malkangiri, said there was no truth in the allegation. “It is a ploy to shift the leaders and others who are hiding after the exchange of fire or injured in it, to a safer place. If he [R.K.] were really in our custody, we would have certainly revealed the fact. If he is injured, we will provide good medical help like we have extended to two Maoists injured in an exchange of fire recently.

“Mr. Varavara Rao might have made the charge against us as he did not get information from RK on his status and about others through his own channels,” Mr. Sharma said.

The funeral of some leaders and cadres, including Daya, Ganesh (Bakuri Venkata Ramana), RK’s son Munna, Prabhakar, Lata, Mamatha, and Murali took place in their native places.

Apart from the seven, the bodies of Gemmeili Kesava alias Birusu, Jalmuri Srinu Babu alias Raino, Inaparthy Dasu alias Madhu, Rajesh alias Bimal, Kameswari alias Swaroopa alias Ricky, Swetha, Budri, Daasu and Ramesh have been identified.

The bodies of 14 others, including the six killed on Tuesday and Thursday, are yet to be identified.