7 Naxals Killed, 3 Injured In Police Encounter
Seven Naxalites, including three women and a deputy Dalam commander, of the outlawed Peoples War Group (PWG) were killed and three others injured in a fierce encounter with police near Lakshmipur village in Medak district of Andhra Pradesh yesterday.
Police said the extremists, belonging to Sanjeev Dalam, initially opened fire at a police search party from their hide-out in Jinnaram forest area. In the prolonged encounter that ensued, seven ultras were killed while the injured fled the scene. Among the dead, who could be identified, were Sudershan, who carried a reward of Rs three lakh on his head, and women Dalam members Bharatakka, Lakshmakka and Bujji, police said. Five weapons, including two 303 rifles, were recovered from the spot.
The fierce showdown comes a day after PWG Naxals blasted the house of ruling Telugu Desam party legislator Vasudeva Rao at Aamsanpally village in Medak .
district. Rao represents the Ramayampet constituency in the district.
A massive search was on to nab the injured ultras who slipped into the nearby forest, police said.
The incident comes close on the heels of the Naxalites support to the on-going agitation by farmers of Telangana region, protesting against inadequate power supply.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu had told the state Assembly recently that extremists were instigating violence in the region under the guise of solidarity with farmers.
Undeterred by the re-imposition of ban in July last year, the PWG, the most dreaded Naxal outfit, has intensified its activities, mainly targeting policemen.
In a series of dare-devil attacks, the extremists had gunned down 13 policemen in Sirpur village in Adilabad district in November last and killed another 16 policemen at Karakagudem in the same district in January last.
In both the cases, ultras had raided and blasted the police stations in a well-planned blitz.
n another major strike, a deputy superintendent of police, Umesh Kumar had been killed along with his wife in a landmine blast triggered by extremists near Ramapur village in Warangal district in November last.
As on March 10 this year, 25 persons fell victims to Naxal violence, while 115 cases of other extremist-related offences had been reported, police said.
The PWG committed 165 murders and 1,022 other offences last year compared to 86 murders and 605 other offences in 1995, police added.