Seven Maoists killed in encounter in Andhra Pradesh; 50 held in major crackdown

A day after six Maoists were killed at Maredumilli in Andhra Pradesh seven more were killed in a separate exchange of fire in the same area on Wednesday police said reported the PTISpeaking at a press conference in Vijayawada ADGP Intelligence Mahesh Chandra Laddha said three of those killed on Wednesday were womenldquoIn continuation with Tuesdays operation seven Maoists have died until now Todays encounter took place about 7 km from the previous siterdquo he said according to the PTIThe seven Maoists were reportedly killed around 7 am at Maredumilli in Alluri Sitaramaraju district Identification of the deceased is ongoing but one of them has been identified as Meturi Jokha Rao alias Tech Shankar a native of Srikakulam Shankar who had been part of the Maoist movement for around 20 years was in charge of the AndhraOdisha Border and specialised in technical operations including arms manufacturing and communicationsPolice noted that Shankar had likely moved to Andhra Pradesh to revive Maoist activities in the southern regionOn Tuesday six Maoists including top naxalite commander Madvi Hidma were killed in an encounter at Maredumilli mandalChhattisgarh Police described Hidmas death as the ldquofinal nail in the coffinrdquo of the insurgencyHidma had led the Maoistsrsquo Peoplersquos Liberation Guerrilla Army PLGA Battalion No 1 the strongest military unit of the outfit in Dandakaranya which covers parts of Andhra Pradesh Odisha Telangana Maharashtra and Bastar and had orchestrated several attacks over the past two decades the news agency reportedMeanwhileAndhra Pradesh Police arrested 50 CPI Maoist cadres across five districts in a coordinated intelligenceled operation officials said on Wednesday as per the PTILaddha said ldquoFollowing Hidmarsquos killing we launched a synchronised intelligencedriven operation across five districts and apprehended 50 Maoist cadresrdquoThe arrested cadres held different ranks within the Maoist organisation including special zonal committee members divisional committee members area committee members and regular party operatives active across the south BastarDandakaranya regionldquoThis is one of the most extensive operations conducted in recent yearsrdquo Laddha said noting the operation covered Krishna Eluru NTR Kakinada and Konaseema districts including Vijayawada city and was executed quietly and efficiently according to the PTIPersonnel from the State Intelligence Department Special Investigation Branch SIB district police units and Vijayawada Commissionerate participated in the crackdown Many cadres had fled Sukma Bijapur Narayanpur and West Bastar districts in Chhattisgarh due to continuous security pressure and were subsequently arrested in Andhra PradeshDuring searches police recovered 39 firearms 302 rounds of ammunition detonators cordtex wires communication devices and Rs 13 lakh in cash from multiple locationsLaddha highlighted that three special zonal committee members and several divisional committee members were among those arrested signalling a significant leadership disruption within the Maoist hierarchy He added that the operation prevented attempts at reorganisation and dealt a severe blow to Maoist networks operating between Chhattisgarh and Andhra PradeshSIB chief PHD Ramakrishna said the operation was conducted with ldquosilent precision ensuring no cadre escaped and no civilians were harmedrdquo the news agency reportedFollowing the crackdownMallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi a surrendered leader of the banned CPI Maoist has once again appealed to active cadres to abandon armed struggle and join the mainstreamThe appeal came a day after top Naxalite commander M Hidma was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh Bhupathi who surrendered on 15 October along with 60 cadres made the statement in a video released by Gadchiroli PoliceldquoWe have been receiving news of encounters in recent daysrdquo Bhupathi said referring to the deaths of Hidma and five others on TuesdayldquoThis is a matter of grave concern We abandoned armed struggle about one and a half months ago because we realised that the changing situation does not allow us to continue with it We are now working to resolve the peoplersquos issues within the framework of the Constitutionrdquo he addedHighlighting the heavy losses suffered by the Naxalite movement Bhupathi urged cadres to reconsider their path ldquoRather than fighting with arms we should leave armed struggle behind and join the mainstream working alongside the peoplerdquo he saidHe emphasised that he had made similar appeals previously and urged cadres not to ignore this message ldquoYou should join the mainstream and work with the common people according to the Constitution of Indiardquo Bhupathi said sharing his phone number for further contactwith PTI inputs