Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

PWG resorts to killings after a lull

By K. Srinivas Reddy

HYDERABAD APRIL 19. The killings of two political activists in Karimnagar district and the attack on a police team by triggering a landmine in East Godavari district last night and this morning by People's War Group (PWG) naxalites have cast a shadow on the efforts to initiate a dialogue between the left-wing extremists and the Government. People in naxalite-dominated areas, especially those living in the North Telangana districts, were eagerly waiting for a positive result out of the peace talks, but the latest killings and the landmine explosion could turn out to be stumbling blocks for the ongoing effort for organising peace talks.

Police officials say that the two killings in Karimnagar district were purely because of the political affiliations of the victims (B. Rayapa Reddy, Telugu Rytu leader and R. Bal Reddy, BJP Kisan Morcha district president). (A report from Karimnagar said two naxalites went to the house of Rayapa Reddy at Nampally village of Vemulawada mandal and shot him in the temple). The landmine explosion near Jaggi Gadda village of East Godavari this morning indicates that the PWG would strike whenever it can, police officers assert.

Ever since the efforts began to initiate peace talks on February 10, there has been much controversy over the single issue of observing 'ceasefire'. After the Tupakulagudem incident in which 10 naxals and a sub-inspector were killed on March 11, the PWG announced that it was withdrawing its self-imposed ceasefire as the Government had not reciprocated on this count.

Subsequently, the Government convened an all-party meeting and rejected the condition of ceasefire since it amounted to imposing a pre-condition for holding talks. However, the Government was ready to hold direct talks with the PWG, the Home Minister asserted after the meeting. The latest PWG announcement on March 9 indicated that they would observe a ceasefire only after the Government announced a similar measure.

While the PWG and the Government indulged a game of blaming each other, both sides continued their activity. While the police were very subtle in carrying out their operations in the name of contacting people in villages under different schemes, the PWG went about its own activity, though there were not many of murders.

Since the initiative for holding talks began on February 10, there have been as many as 27 incidents of violence by the PWG cadres, including five murders in Medak, Visakhapatnam, East Godavari, Nalgonda and Karimnagar districts and two landmine explosions in Srikakulam and East Godavari districts. The PWG appeared to have concentrated more on destroying public and private properties during this period. The blasting of a railway station and engine in Chelma station, cinema theatre of Bhuma Nagi Reddy, a TDP MP(in Kurnool), MRO office in Bhamini of Srikakulam, a police station building in Pothkapalli of Karimangar district, an engineering college near Jagitial, setting fire to dumpers in Adilabad district causing a loss of Rs. 1.8 crores were some of the major incidents. In addition to this, PWG cadres opened fire on a police team in Boddikunta of Adilabad, set fire to the house of a constable in Karimnagar and blasted the house of a TDP leader in Chirrakunta of Adilabad district. There have been over six cases of people being beaten up by PWG suspecting them to be police informants.

On the other side, the police served a deadly blow to the PWG when they raided a forest area in Tupaklagudem and killed ten naxals in an exchange of fire which was described as nothing less than a war. There have been as many as 10 exchanges of fire where five more naxals were killed. A lot of naxalite dumps were raided and huge quantities of explosives and weapons recovered.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Southern States

News: Front Page | National | Southern States | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Obituary |

Stories in this Section

• PWG resorts to killings after a lull
• CM reiterates promise to extend facilities to chemical sector
• Drought-resistant rice varieties in the offing
• Dalit allegedly beaten to death
• Report on 'split' sends TDP into a tizzy
• Plight of weavers in focus again
• Facilities for Ayyappa pilgrims to be improved
• Union Minister, BJP leaders condemn naxal killings
• Clash between BJP, Congress activists
• APERC signs MoU with two US organisations
• Murder charge: TDP rejects Cong. Accusation

Copyright © 2002, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu