The Hindu : Three naxals killed in `encounter'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Jan 07, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

Three naxals killed in `encounter'

By Our Staff Reporter

GUNTUR Jan. 6. Three militants of the People's War (PW) were killed in an "encounter'' with the police in the late hours of Sunday in the Bollapalli forest area of Vinukonda Assembly constituency in Guntur district.

According to the Narasaraopet DSP, Suryaprakasa Rao, the naxalites triggered a claymore mine when the police party and the nodal team were travelling on motorcycles between Remidicherla and Ravulapuram villages of Bandalamottu police station limits around 3 pm on Sunday. Following this incident, the Circle Inspector of Vinukonda, Ramakoteswara Rao, instructed all policemen to take positions and begin firing. Later, the police party chased the militants who were fleeing into the forest.

An exchange of fire ensued for over six hours. While the police fired 170 rounds, the naxalites returned the fire. However, the exchange of fire came to a halt around 9 p.m. Later, when the police took up combing operations, they found three bodies in the forest. The bodies were identified as those of Banavath Bheemudu (25) and Banavath Babu Naik (23) of Bodipalem thanda and V. Chinna (22) of Gandiganumala.

Police recovered gelatins, kit bag, soap bomb, tiffin box and wires from the scene. The police are suspecting that some other naxalites who participated in the exchange of fire might have fled the scene. Officials were not confirming whether the trio were active members of the PW dalam or just militants.

However, B. Moti Bai (wife of Bheemudu), V. Yaluku (wife of Babu Naik) and Lakshmi Bai (wife of Chinna) on Monday alleged that the police picked them up when they were herding cows in the nearby forest. Incidentally, Bodipalem thanda and Gandiganumala villages are located just adjacent to the place where the claymore mine was blasted. They alleged that it was murder in cold blood. They also said that their husbands had nothing to do with the PW or its activities.

The identity of the three naxalites, who were killed following the blast of claymore mines between Sarangapalli and Kothur on Sunday, has also been established.

They were identified as M. Ebineizer, M. Mary Kumari (husband and wife) and Banavath Narasimha Naik. The police said that the trio were militants of the PW and were killed when the special police parties, who chased them after the claymore mines were triggered, opened fire.

However, the sarpanch of Kothur village, Bhukya Seenu Naik, another farmer, Nadikude Nageswara Rao and Muthaiah (father of Ebineizer) told presspersons at Dachepalli that the police killed the three in a "fake encounter''. They brushed aside the theory of "chasing and killing'' as a concocted story.

Arson spree continues

According to a report from Ongole, the torching spree of the PW in Prakasam district is continuing. The Palavanka dalam of the group reportedly blasted a building and a drip borewell located on the farmyard belonging to the Markapur former MLA, Janke Venkat Reddy (TDP), at Gaddameedipally of Veerabhadrapur panchayat under Yerragondapalem police station limits, about 150 km from here in the wee hours of today.

The guest house was razed to the ground and drip borewell was completely destroyed. The farmyard spreading over 20 acres was having chilli crop in six acres and sweet orange orchard in three acres. However, the naxalites left the standing crops intact.

They pasted two posters on a water tank in the farmyard in which they demanded withdrawal of a large posse of CRPF deployed to eliminate naxalites in Yerragondapalem and Dornala mandals of the Nallamala forest region. They also asked the police stop unlawful arrests and illegal detentions.

Last night armed naxalites reportedly hurled two hand grenades on the Yerragondapalem police station. One grenade fell near the sentry post and another at the CI's bathroom.

However, the two grenades did not explode. The police present at the station in retaliation fired four rounds.

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