The Communist Party of India (Maoist) has alleged that top-ranking naxalite leader Cherukuri Raj Kumar, alias Azad, was taken into custody by the police, and has demanded that he be produced in court immediately.
A statement issued by Central Regional Bureau (CRB) spokesman Pratap and Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) spokesman Gudsa Usendi said, they feared for his life, as the police had shot dead two leaders, Sakhamuri Appa Rao and S. Kondal Reddy, in fake encounters in Andhra Pradesh last week.
The spokespersons claimed Kumar lost contact with the party the same day Rao was abducted and killed. Kumar was supposed to meet Rao that day and both were supposed to visit the Dandakaranya guerrilla zone.
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“But we lost contact with him since then…We are afraid the police are torturing him and a conspiracy to kill him is on,” the joint statement said. Kumar is a spokesman of the party's Central Committee.
‘Fake statements’
The statement alleged that consequent to the encounters, intelligence agencies issued fake statements in Kumar's name on the killings. This showed they wanted to create confusion about Kumar not being in their custody.
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It warned the security forces that the cadres would react seriously, if any harm was done to Kumar.