The Hindu : PW naxals blast police station in Anantapur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jun 06, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

PW naxals blast police station in Anantapur

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR JUNE 5. In a major strike, naxalites belonging to the People's War blasted a police station in the district at Roddam after midnight on Wednesday. The police station was completely destroyed due to the impact of the explosion.

In two similar incidents earlier, PW naxalites had blasted new police station buildings, which were yet to be occupied. They blasted Vajrakarur police station in 2000 and the Pothukunta police station last year.

According to the police, about 10 naxalites, five of them with weapons, belonging to the Ramagiri and Chitravati dalams, surrounded the police station around 12.30 am on Thursday and opened fire in the air to threaten the policemen in the station and barged into it.

They took out the assistant sub-inspector, Nabi Rasool, and the sentry constable, Nagaraju, and tied them with rope, planted a bucketful of gelatine sticks connected to detonators and blasted the station. They retreated towards Penna river immediately after the blast.

The naxalites struck when the people of the village were busy making preparations for the annual festivities of the local goddess in the primary school building situated right in front of the police station. Some people were also busy at the nearby Timbaktu office, an NGO, preparing for today's World Environment Day programme.

An RTC bus belonging to the Dharmavaram depot parked in front of the police station was also damaged partially due to the blast. The windscreen and glass windows of the bus were broken due to the intensity of the explosion.

In a letter handed over to the policemen in the name of Anantapur district committee secretary, Praveen, the naxalites stated that the police station blast was in retaliation to the Rayachoti encounter in which two key naxalites and two shepherds were killed. They also mentioned the police killing of sympathiser, Bhupati, in Anantapur district.

This is the second major incident involving naxalites in a week after they blasted the Chigicherla railway station on June 1 night. The police launched massive combing operations in the area.

Our Warangal Staff Reporter writes:

14 naxals surrender

Fourteen naxalites belonging to various outfits surrendered to the police in the presence of the DIG, T. Krishna Prasad, here today.

Six belonged to the PW, three to Prathighatana, three to Praja Prathighatana, one to Janashakti and one to the CPUSI.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. Krishna Prasad said the PW cadre was vexed with the movement and there would be more surrenders in the near future.

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