In view of North Telangana bandh call given by the CPI(Maoist) on November 15 and 16 to protest against the anti-people policies of the state and the Central governments, police intensified surveillance in the district.
The Maoists, who otherwise have remained quiet for several years in the district, sprang a surprise killing a Congress activist Kammala Raghavaiah branding him as a police informer and for allegedly settling land disputes in the villages.
About three days ago CPI (Maoist) Khammam, Karimnagar and Warangal (KKW) secretary Sudhakar issued a press release in Karimnagar, Khammam and Warangal villages calling for bandh on Thursday and Friday.
In the name of developmental activities, the government is forcefully displacing thousands of people especially tribals from their habitations.
‘’We are against open cast mines, Polavaram project, Rangaraya Cheruvu and Kavval Tiger sanctuary in North Telangana,’’ the release said. They also warned a landlord Challa Narayana Reddy saying that he would also meet the same fate as Kammala Raghavaiah, who was killed by them recently.
Maoists have considerable support of villagers in the rural areas of the district as was evident with the killing of a villager and pasting of posters.
Maoists have decided to regain their lost glory in North Telangana region by reviving party activities. Police, meanwhile, intensified vehicle checking in view of the bandh call in Kataram, Mahadevpur and Adavimuttaram mandals where Maoists were active in the past.
Special police party has launched combing operations in the forest areas. The police also cautioned political leaders to be wary about their movements in the villages and have informed them to alert the police before they venture into the interior villages.
Meanwhile, a senior police officer said “We have upper hand over Maoists in the eastern division, after Pankena incident where Raghavaiah, a village head was killed by Maoists). A special police party attacked KKW team in the neighbouring Maharashtra forest, but they escaped from police firing,’’ he said.