VISAKHAPATNAM: In what is being viewed as the ‘biggest encounter’ in the history of the Andhra Police, the elite anti-Naxal force, the Greyhounds, in a joint operation with the Odisha police, gunned down 24 Maoists, including 11 women, in a surprise raid in the dense jungle between Panasput and Ramgarha in Malkangiri district, Odisha early Monday. A Greyhounds commando, Abu Bakar, from Gajuwaka, died of bullet wounds while another commando, Satish Kumar, was seriously injured.
The security personnel, numbering more than 200, surrounded the Maoists from two sides, giving little scope for them to escape or retaliate, around 1 a.m., sources told Express. The firefight unfolded about 8-10 km from the Balimela reservoir, where the Maoists had killed 38 Greyhounds personnel back in 2008. Caught unawares, the Maoists ran helter-skelter, with some plunging into a nearby stream, the sources said. The body of one of the Maoists was later fished out of the stream. Four AK-47 rifles, five self-loading rifles, several kit bags and a few other belongings were recovered from the spot. The identities of the slain Maoists have not been confirmed, but it is suspected that top Maoist leaders — Gajarla Ravi, Chalapathi alias Appa Rao, his wife Aruna and Munna, son of AOB special zonal committee secretary and central committee member Ramakrishna alias RK — could be among them. The gunbattle lasted for almost five-six hours and intermittent firing was also reported later during the day.
Director General of Police N Sambasiva Rao, who rushed to Visakhapatnam, said the police had to open fire when the Maoists disregarded their warning to surrender. According to him, the Maoists had assembled in the forest for a plenary. Visakhapantam District Superintendent of Police Rahul Dev Sharma put the number of Maoists at around 50. “A few leaders have escaped,” he said. According to sources, the combing teams moved in after getting credible information, about a couple of days ago, about the impending plenary session. However, officially, police officials maintained that the security personnel had run into the Maoists during combing operations. A police official said the Greyhounds had crossed over a hillock and spotted the Maoists, who were camping on the other side. Around the same time, the Odisha team came from the other side. “They were sandwiched between the two,” he said.
Rights activists cried foul over the killing of the Maoists. Revolutionary Writers’ Association leader Varavara Rao termed it state-sponsored murder even as the Civil Liberties Committee, AP, filed a petition in the Hyderabad High Court seeking a direction to the government for registration of murder cases against policemen involved in the encounter. The High Court, while posting the case to Oct 26, directed AP and Telangana governments to preserve the bodies, if they were brought to their respective States, till further orders. The police refuted the allegations and the DGP asserted that the Greyhounds had fired in self-defence.
Of the two injured Greyhounds commandos, Abu Bakar (27) breathed his last midway to the hospital. He was unmarried and was a resident of BC Colony in Gajuwaka. The DGP, who visited the bereaved family, announced an ex gratia of `40 lakh to them. The other commando, Satish, was shifted to the KGH in Vizag. His condition is said to be stable. The bodies of the slain Maoists were taken to Malkangiri.
Greyhounds penetrate inaccessible region to register first major victory
Combing the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) area, particularly between Busiput and Bejangi hilly terrain, is a tough ask even for the highly-trained elite anti-Naxal force, the Greyhounds. The region is well-known as a safe haven for the Maoists, who use it as a transit zone for moving across Andhra and Odisha. In fact, this is the first time that the security personnel have managed to go into the area and inflict such a high number of casualties on the Maoists.
“The terrain in between Busiput and Bejangi is full of hills with thick vegetation and a number of water streams wind through under the foliage. It is very difficult to carry out combing operations, particularly during winter, due to the dense fog,” a senior police officer told Express. Roads are accessible till Busiputtu and from there, one has to walk if one wants to reach the place where the Maoists had camped. Residents of about six to seven villages in this area have to walk for up to two days or at least one-and-a-half days to reach the mandal headquarters at Munchingput. The Maoists, who have been at the receiving end over the past few years, have of late become active in the region, the sources said, adding they had been trying to stall the construction of a bridge.