An uneasy calm continues to prevail in the remote tribal pockets of Pinapaka mandal in the aftermath of Friday’s incident of Maoist violence.
The police intensified patrolling in interior areas particularly along the course of Godavari river in view of the “Telangana-Dandakaranya” bandh called by CPI (Maoist) on February 5.
Maoists evidently renewed their attempts to gain ground in Pinapaka and its adjoining mandals, their erstwhile strongholds, by carrying out three simultaneous attacks in Pinapaka mandal on Friday night.
Naxal movement
In late 90s, the then People’s War Group (PWG) naxalites raided the Karakagudem police station in the undivided Khammam district, killing 16 policemen, sources recalled.
Though the rebels resorted to sporadic incidents of violence in Pinapaka mandal in the past couple of years, Friday’s attack is being considered as a well-planned major attack, first of its kind after formation of Telangana State in 2014.
Multiple attacks
The rebels apparently hailing from neighbouring Chhattisgarh reportedly entered into the mandal through the river route before unleashing terror at three different places in the mandal on Friday night.
They killed a migrant Adivasi person and opened fire on another injuring him in his hand by branding them as “police informers.” besides torching four trucks, a tractor and some earthmoving machines at a sand quarry in the mandal.
Subsequently, the police mounted vigil in the interior areas along the river course.
The police have stepped up anti-Maoist operations across Manuguru division and elsewhere in the district keeping in view the bandh called by Maoists on February 5 against what the Left-wing rebels termed “Fascist repression.”
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