8 Naxals Killed In First Major Telangana Encounter

Eight naxalites belonging to the newly-formed CPI (Chandra Pulla Reddy Baata) group were killed in an alleged encounter with the police in the Mellamadugu forest area near Bethapudu village in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, in the early hours of Thursday.

While five of the deceased were identified as Bhukya Narasimha, Mokalla Sammaiah, Easam Naresh, Thirukolluri Madhu and Subhash, three of the slain extremists are yet to be identified.

A few days ago key leaders of New Democracy, Madhu, Sagar and Linganna, were caught during a combing operation by a special police team. During interrogation, the police extracted information from them that some more naxalite dalams were roaming in the Palvancha and Tekulapalli forest areas. With this, a special police team launched combing operations, and came across members of the Chandra Pulla Reddy Baata dalam today.

The police asked them to lay down arms, but the dalam members allegedly started firing at the police personnel, who in self-defence retaliated with firing, resulting in the death of eight dalam members.

The police seized the bodies along with some weapons and ammunition, including an SLR, seven rifles and eight kit bags, from the spot.

There have been reports that the naxal group was indulging in extortion from civil contractors and local businessmen. Several cases of extortion and attempt to murder were pending against the members of the group in the limits of the Gundala, Yellandu, Tekulapalli and Bodu police stations.

This was the first major encounter between the police and naxalites in the predominantly tribal district which was carved out of the erstwhile Khammam district last year. The Chandra Pulla Reddy Baata group was mainly active in the forest areas of the undivided Khammam and Warangal districts.

Additional police forces were rushed to the area to step up the search operations.

It may be mentioned here that the CPI-ML split into the Rayala group and the Chandranna faction. Former naxalites who worked in Janashakthi were opposed to these two groups and reportedly floated the Chandra Pulla Reddy Baata dalam, and were extorting money from contractors and businessmen in the Mahbubabad and Kothagudem areas.

On receipt of the information, the police launched an extensive hunt for the extremists.