Andhra Pradesh

Maoists stage a comeback

Bheerpur (Karimnagar dt.): The villagers seemed to have got over the xenophobia, and readily respond with a welcome smile. Hardly half a decade ago, any vehicle approaching the village, would have made them run into the nearby fields and disappear. Then they had a reason to do so.

Bheerpur was on the crosshairs of the security forces not only because Muppala Laxmana Rao, the Maoist chief hailed from here but also for the total control the naxalites had in this area.

A merciless police onslaught had forced the Maoists to withdraw their combatants from Karimnagar, Adilabad, Nizamabad, Warangal and Khammam districts constituting the role model Guerrilla Zone. But it’s now turning to be a ‘tactical retreat’. The rebel forces are now back in North Telangana, though not on a large scale but their effort to make a reentry in North Telangana is evident from the recent trends of the revolutionary movement.

More than 60 Maoist cadres, who honed their skills while on retreat to Bastar, are reported to have returned to Khammam, Warangal and Karimnagar districts, which share borders with Southern Chhattisgarh, which witnessed some of the bloodiest attacks on the security forces.

That the rebels would resort to violence to regain a foothold is evident. In January, rebels laid siege to Borlagudem village, bordering Chhattisgarh and shot dead three people. The squads planted mines around the village and stayed put for more than 90 minutes. Just a month ago, another villager was shot dead in nearby Mahabubpally village. In Vanpally bordering Nizamabad, a poclain engaged for laying a road was burnt down. Maoist posters and banners have sprung up in Nizamabad forest areas. Increased rebel movement has been noticed in Adilabad, Warangal, Mahabubnagar, Medak and Nalgonda districts too.

But is the situation conducive for them to stage a come back? “They are not welcome any more. We are happy now. There have been good rains in the last three years and we are busy. We do not want this peace to be shattered again”, Gollapalli Chandraiah, a Bheerpur villager does not mince words.

The bountiful rains have changed the rural scenario. The economic growth is quite visible. That every household in the village has a mobile phone is an indication. “There are 15 Nokia N-70 phones in my village”, Masarthi Ramesh, the sarpanch of Bheerpur points out proudly. More or less, Bheerpur stands as the representative of Telangana villages now.

This is what is precisely worrying the police. “There are no issues for them now. Hence their focus would only be on attacks. The recent killings have terrorised people, but people are detesting this violence”, asserts Karimnagar SP Y. Gangadhar. Police have information about 34 rebels forming four squads led by Damodar, Sudkahar, Latakka and Ganesh respectively are moving in North Telangana, in addition to the presence of a combat platoon in Khammam district.

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