BHADRACHALAM: In a daring and sensational act, 200 Maoists sneaked into Palagudem village in this district on Tuesday morning from the Bastar area in Chattisgarh -- apparently after hoodwinking the large number of CRPF and Grey Hound forces deployed on the Telangana /AP-Chattisgarh border.
According to reliable sources, the Maoists erected a ‘Maoist Amara Veerula Stupam’ (Maoist Martyrs’ Pylon) at the village as part of the ‘Maoist Martyrs Week’ in AP and Chattishgarh states, which commenced on Monday.
They tied some banners nearby and scattered some pamphlets before fleeing to their hideouts in Bastar.
In the pamphlets, they demanded that the AP government should stop the ‘Green Hunt’ and abandon the Polavaram project to save the lives and livelihood of innocent tribals.
While the Maosists successfully evaded the dragnet spread by the security forces on the border, no policeman visited the Palagudem village till Tuesday evening fearing that the Maoists might have laid land mines there.
The Maoists also stuck wall posters of ‘Martyrs Week’ at Anjipaka in Dummagudem mandal and other places in Cherla and Venkatapuram mandals.
Meanwhile, Khammam Superintendent of Police AV Ranganath, said that a high alert had been sounded and added that the CRPF and Grey Hound personnel had launched a combing operation in the forest areas on the Telangana /Andhra Pradesh-Chattisgarh border.