Security has been tightened in the Agency mandals abutting Chhattisgarh as the police intensified area domination and vehicle checking operations in the border areas in view of the bandh called by the CPI (Maoist) on October 27 in protest against Monday’s ‘encounter’ in Tekulagudem forest area, in which three Maoists were killed.
The death of three key members, well trained in guerilla warfare, of the CPI (Maoist)’s Central Regional Company (CRC), on Monday’s ‘encounter’ in the forest area straddling the Chhattisgarh’s Tekulagudem in Bijapur district and Telangana’s Peruru in Mulugu district dealt a severe blow to the outlawed outfit in the Dandakaranya forests.
Four weapons, including one Light Machine Gun, one Self-Loading Rifle, an AK 47 rifle and a firearm, were recovered at the ‘encounter’ site, police said.
Police in coordination with the CRPF personnel intensified the joint combing operations and vehicle checking drives along the forest stretches of roads connecting the border villages in Bhadrachalam Agency with remote tribal pockets in Chhattisgarh’s south Bastar division.
According to sources, security has been beefed up at mobile phone towers and other vital installations in the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas in Agency mandals in the district and also neighbouring Mulugu district to thwart possible retaliatory attacks by Maoists to avenge the killing of their three key cadres.
It may be mentioned here that the CPI (Maoist) State committee official spokesman Jagan issued a statement on Monday alleging that three members of the CPI (Maoist) CRC – Dhamal, ACM, from Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and two other cadres Sodi Ramal and P Badhru from Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district were killed in a ‘fake encounter’ in Tekulagudem forest area.
