Two Maoists killed in Warangal encounter

The Naxals were identified as Sruthi alias Mahitha (23), native of Waddepally, Hanamkonda and an engineering graduate, and Vidyasagar Reddy alias Sagar (32).

Police officials in the forest where the encounter took place in Warangal district on Tuesday.— Photo: M. MURALI

In what is described as the first encounter in newly- formed Telangana State, two Maoists were killed in an exchange of fire with the police in thick forests of Rangapuram village in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The Naxals were identified as Sruthi alias Mahitha (23), native of Waddepally, Hanamkonda and an engineering graduate, and Vidyasagar Reddy alias Sagar (32), native of Dharmasagar mandal of Warangal district.

It is suspected that Karimnagar- Khammam-Warangal (KKW) Maoist party secretary Damodar and several others managed to escape from the spot.

Police recovered two weapons – one .303 and a carbine and several kit bags —from the scene.

Camp found

The spot – Moddugutta, a hillock — was 10 km deep inside the forest and the Naxals fell to police bullets near a stream.

There was a plastic tent, medical kits, kit bags and revolutionary literature at the spot. Several lunch boxes were tied to trees around indicating that several Maoists were probably camping there for some time.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) A.K. Jha said on a tip-off that some armed squads were moving in villages abutting the forest areas, police had stepped up combing across the district.

“Our police party spotted a group of naxals in the Rangapuram forest area. The naxals opened fire and the police retaliated. Two Naxals were found dead after firing stopped. Combing operations are still on,” he told The Hindu .

Fake encounter, allege parents

The parents of Sruthi, Sudarshanam and Rama Devi, alleged that their daughter was killed in a fake encounter.

They told the media that their daughter was arrested, tortured and killed in a cruel manner by the police.

“She joined the Maoists to achieve people’s Telangana and to fight for the poor Adivasis. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Ministers and the police should own responsibility for her death,” Sudarshanam said.

Meanwhile, the parents of Vidyasagar Reddy alias Sagar remained silent over the death of their son.

Sagar, who completed tenth class, used to work as a car driver and worked with a private seeds company before joining the Maoist party just one month back, the parents said.