Naxals loot foodgrains in Anantapur dt.

By Our Staff Reporter

URAVAKONDA (Anantapur Dt.), JUNE 18. In a major operation for the first time in the State in recent years, the banned naxalite outfit, People's War Group, raided a stock point of the Civil Supplies department here on the intervening night of Saturday- Sunday, in the name of ``famine raids'' and lifted about 935 bags of rice, wheat and sugar for distributing them among peasants, poor, dalits and tribals.

The incident took place in the heart of the Assembly constituency headquarters. The stock point in Chowdeshwari Colony is barely one and a half km from the police station.

Police reacted swiftly and nabbed 29 dalam members and militants belonging to the Pennahobilam dalam, which carried out the operation, including four women. They could also recover about 173 bags of rice of 50 kg each, a lorry, a van and three tractors used for lifting the stocks. Some arms and explosives were also seized from the nabbed naxalites.

According to the Inspector-General of Police (Rayalaseema Zone), Mr. K.S.N. Murthy, who rushed here from Puttaparthi, about 100 dalam members, militants and sympathisers of the PWG, who came in six lorries/vans and eight tractors, raided the stock point. They lifted 900 bags of rice, 20 bags of sugar and 15 bags of wheat, after breaking open latches on the shutters.

On information about the raid, a police team led by the in- charge Inspector of Uravakonda, Mr. Ramprasad, went in search of the culprits. They apprehended a tractor going towards Kanekal with some men near Nimbagallu at around 1.30 am. The raiders opened fire on the police as soon as they noticed the latter. They escaped under cover of darkness after a brief exchange of fire with the police, abandoning the tractor.

In the meantime, several special teams of police from Anantapur, Dharmavaram and Guntakal were rushed to Uravakonda and from there in different directions to nab the raiders. One team apprehended a tractor and a lorry carrying rice bags and 29 persons who participated in the raid, including four women. Two dalam members - Lalithakka and Padmakka - were also stated to be among those nabbed. They also traced one tractor with rice at Marutla-III colony.

Another police team went towards Amidyala and Raketla and it spotted five armed naxalites between the two villages. The naxalites opened fire on the police on noticing them and one of them was killed in the retaliatory fire by the police. A tapancha was found with the slain naxalite, who was yet to be identified.

It may be mentioned here that the district committee of the PWG issued a statement to the press here about 10 days ago about their plans of famine raids. The Pennahobilam dalam of the outfit had implemented it, dealing a severe moral blow to the police.

Speaking to presspersons, the IGP, Mr. Murthy, and the SP, Mr. V.R.K. Mohan Rao, admitted that it was the first incident of its kind in Rayalaseema. There were precedents of such raids in Adilabad district and other areas of Telangana by the naxalites but not in the recent past, they said.

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Section  : Southern States
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