The Hindu : NGO founder shot dead by naxals, guesthouse blasted

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 20, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

NGO founder shot dead by naxals, guesthouse blasted

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD June 19. The police and naxalites of the People's War (PW) were engaged in gunfights at three places in Warangal and Karimnagar districts on Thursday. However, there was no loss of life. Elsewhere, the PW activists blasted a forest guesthouse on the outskirts of Rayachoti town in Cuddapah district, while the founder of a NGO was shot dead near Devarakonda town in Nalgonda district.

According to reports reaching the State police headquarters, a special party sanitising a road on which ruling Telugu Desam leaders were to travel accosted a ten-member naxalite team near Immadigudem in the Tadvai jungles around 9 a.m. After an exchange of fire, the naxalite team managed to escape, leaving behind ten kitbags and three claymore mines.

Subsequently, another police team combing the forest areas near Lingala, about 20 km from the morning encounter site, challenged the same naxal group, which was retreating deep into the forest.

A gun battle ensued and the naxals again managed to slip through the police dragnet. Till last reports came in, the police were pursuing the fleeing naxals.

According to a report from Karimnagar, there was a fierce exchange of fire between the police and PW naxalites in the interior Thurthi village of Kathalapur mandal on Wednesday morning. However, there were no casualties from either side.

Police said special teams began combing the forest area on information about the movement of the naxal squad in the vicinity of Thurthi village. The naxalites who were at a vantage point fired at the police teams and the latter retaliated. The firing continued for about half an hour and the naxalites taking advantage of the terrain escaped.

Police recovered five kit bags, three water cans, five umbrellas, spent ammunition, huge quantity of party literature and other material. About 10 armed naxalites belonging to the Kathalapur and Kodimial squad were believed to be involved in the incident.

Our staff reporter from Cuddapah writes:

The PW extremists blasted the forest nursery building-cum rest house on the outskirts of Rayachoti town around Wednesday midnight. Three naxalites collected the keys from the watchman, S. Nazirullah, and later blasted the building. While one of the naxals carried a tapancha, the others carried buckets containing explosives, according to the police.

The naxals fled after handing over a letter in the name of the Palakondala squad committee secretary, Bharathakka, which claimed that the blast was in protest against the fake encounter of the PWG State Committee member, Karumanchi Prasad alias Diwakar, and the Papaghni dalam member, Sandhya, in a recent encounter near Sakibanda in Tsundupalle mandal.

Our Nalgonda Staff Reporter writes:

Suspected PW naxals shot dead Depa Janardhan Reddy (36), founder of a Non-Government Organisation, Vivekananda Youth Association, on the outskirts of Devarakonda on Thursday.

Police said that the two assailants fired at Reddy, when he was at his farmhouse near Peta Cheruvu garden. Garlapati Damodar, former vice-president of the association, was with the victim at the time of the attack.

Just before the fatal attack, a stranger picked up a quarrel with Reddy and Damodar and even as the arguments continued, two persons surfaced there. One of them whipped out a revolver and shot Reddy almost at contact range. The other assailants too brandished a crude weapon and fired at Reddy. Later they asked Damodar and some labourers to leave the place immediately. After shooting Reddy, they fled raising revolutionary slogans.

Reddy died while being taken to Hyderabad after doctors at the local Government hospital said the condition was very critical.

Hundreds of people from various villages paid tributes to Janardhan. On coming to know about the incident, the MP, Gutta Sukhender Reddy, and the local MLA, Bharatibai, reached the place and consoled the bereaved family members.

Janardhan Reddy, who took up watershed contracts in many of the naxal-affected villages, was on the hit list of the naxals and was warned thrice "for the inferior quality of works.'' He was also said to have defied the diktats of naxals and made arrangements to organise a weekend shandy at Peddamunigal, a stronghold of naxals.

He is stated to have dropped his plans to go abroad to oversee the arrangements of the shandy, a villager said. The victim had close links with the TDP leaders.

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