AP DGP visits Maoists attack spot, reviews situation

A special team headed by an SP-rank officer has been constituted to investigate the killing of two ruling TDP leaders by maoists, Andhra Pradesh DGP R P Thakur said Wednesday while appearing to admit 'police failure' for the daring attack in Visakhapatnam district.

Thakur, who returned to the state from a trip to the US, landed directly in Visakhapatnam in the afternoon and reviewed the situation with top police officials and later inspected the spot where TDP MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former legislator Siveri Soma were shot dead by Maoists Sunday.

...Failure...if you say so.It is police failure. Intelligence, Greyhounds (elite anti-Naxal squad) work under me. If you ask, franklyyes we take responsibility, he told reporters at Livitiputtu where the incident occurred close to the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border.

The DGP said a special team had been constituted under a Superintendent of Police-rank officer to investigate the case. We got some clues. We will take strong action against the culprits. There will not be any softness," he said.

Thakur said the attack, the first major strike by the CPI (Maoist) in the state in several years, "was one bad incident".

"I will not say nothing happened and that everything is good. Let us see... we will do something, he added.

He recalled that there were some incidents in the past where the Maoists tried to attack even police personnel.

We have information that they tried many other attacks and made attempts on police. Once or twice (our people) missed by a whisker. We took precautions so we came out (unscathed), the DGP said.

The two TDP leaders were shot dead by a group of maoists when they visited the village to take part in a 'grama darsini' (village visit) programme.

Police Monday claimed to have obtained vital clues, saying the attackers were led by woman member of CPI (Maoist) Andhra-Odisha Border committee Aruna.