Maoist Kavali Yadagiri alias Sudhakar remanded to judicial custody in Nalgonda

Nalgonda, December 19: The Nalgonda police produced a senior Maoist Kavali Yadagiri alias Sudhakar alias Pandu alias Nomula Ramana, former courier of top Maoist Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrisha, before the magistrate at his official residence on Tuesday evening.

Superintendent of Police Vijay Kumar told reporters that Yadagiri, the Nalgonda divisional committee member, had been arrested at Nizampet of Medak district on Monday. The 41-year-old Yadagiri is a native of Udutalapally in Chandur district. He was involved in 17 cases, including six murders, the SP said.

The police did not allow press persons to speak to the arrested Maoist on the premises of the district police office headquarters. However, Yadagiri told a group of reporters prior to being produced before the magistrate that he had been "tortured" by policemen in Medak. He thanked the electronic media for "saving" his life.

As the in-charge of Nalgonda ditrict committee affairs, Yadagiri had direct dealings with the CPI (Maoist) State Committee. He had been with the Maoists from 1998 and played a vital role in many operations. "He had worked as a courier to Ramakrishna at Tenali before the peace talks. After the failure of the talks, he was elevated as the area committee secretary position," the SP said.

Yadagiri gave police a tough time by killing Jinukala Shankaraiah of Yellamonigudem in Gurrampode mandal on December 6, a day before the Chief Minister's visit to Aler, branding him as an informant.

The Superintendent of Police also revealed that one Pothu Ramesh Goud (38), Yadagiri's companion, gave the slip to the police. The police recovered a 12-bore thapancha and a fusewire bundle from a dump in his house at his native place. The Officer on Special Duty A.Venkateswara Rao said that Yadagiri's wife resides at Zaheerabad.

--Agencies

Top naxal picked up in Medak

HYDERABAD : Maoist party south Telangana secretary and action team member Kavali Yadagiri alias Sudhakar alias Pandu (41) was taken into custody by police in Medak district, while a woman naxal surrendered before police in Warangal on Tuesday.

Pandu of Nalgonda was arrested by SIB police at Nizampet in Dubbaka mandal when he was going on a scooter along with Pothu Ramesh Goud, son of TRS leader Chandra Goud. Sources said Pandu was whisked away in a car by sleuths to an unknown place.

He has been with the Maoist party since 1998 and worked as a courier to top leader Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna. A 12 bore tapancha and a fuse wire bundle was recovered from his house at Udthalpalli village.

Chetti Prameela alias Swarnakka alias Vidya, commander of Venkatapuram special guerrilla squad in Khammam district, who has been underground for 15 years, surrendered in Warangal on Tuesday.

She is the wife of senior Maoist leader and NTSZC secretariat member Chetti Rajapapaiah, who was killed in an encounter at the Medaram forests on July 1. In all, 23 cases were registered against her in Khammam and Warangal districts, including seven murder cases.

Andra Cafe

AP: Police confirm arrest of two Maoist leaders

Tuesday December 18 2007 13:45 IST

Express News Service

GUNTUR: Ending the week-long suspense, the police today announced that they have arrested CPI (Maoist) Prakasam District Committee Secretary Singa Prasad and Gundlakamma area committee member Juthavath Ramsingh Naik alias Keshav on Sunday night.

It may recalled that senior Maoist leader Sagar alias Panduranga Reddy, who was arrested a few days ago, claimed on December 10 that Prasad and Keshav were in police custody and based on their confession, the police unearthed a dump comprising nearly 10 kg gold articles and Rs 7 lakh cash in the Nallamala forests.

The police, however, denied the arrests. Producing the two Maoists at a media conference here, District SP Mahesh Chandra Laddha and OSD Ravi Prakash said that they were arrested at Mrutunjayapuram in Nujendla mandal on Sunday night.

Even the Maoists 'vouchsafed' the police version saying that they were held on Sunday night while making a phone call after meeting their party colleagues Murali, Ashok, Nirmala and Vimala.

Giving the details of the cases in which the duo were involved, Laddha said that Prasad, a native of Bommalapuram in Prakasam district, joined the movement in 2000 after he was influenced by Maoist leader Jeevan. He is accused in 10 murder cases.

Keshav, who is a native of Rajanayak Thanda of Bollapalli mandal in Guntur district, joined the movement a few years ago.

He was area committee member of Gundlakamma and also worked as sentry to district Maoist leaders. Keshav was involved in five murders cases.

The Maoists said there were no further recruitments and the party has become weak after holding talks with the Government in 2004. To a query, they said that senior Maoist leaders Jeevan and Sambasivudu were not in Nallamala at present.

Laddha said that the police initially mistook Prasad for another Maoist Meesala Prabhakar but later ascertained his identity. He also appealed to seven other Naxalites, including Prabhakar and Nagamani to surrender.

Online TV journalist arrested in Hyderabad, accused of being Maoist courier

Reporters Without Borders calls on the central government to shed light on the reasons for the arrest of Pittala Srisailam, editor of the online television station Musi TV (www.musitv.com), on 4 December in Hyderabad, the capital of the eastern state of Andhra Pradesh. Accused of being a Maoist "courier," Srisailam was going to interview one of the leaders of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) when arrested.

Srisailam was interrogated for 30 hours before being formally placed under arrest. In the course of his transfer from Ongol prison to Nellore prison in Andhra Pradesh, he told journalists: "I was kidnapped by police and wrongly implicated as a Maoist courier. I was also tortured by the police in custody to make me confess to things I am not aware of. I have no connections whatsoever with the Maoists and was there only for an interview as a part of my job as a journalist."

His family and colleagues have met with Andhra Pradesh interior minister Jana Reddy, but nothing has so far come of the meeting. Musi TV supports separate statehood for Telangana, the northwestern half of Andhra Pradesh state. It posts videos of pro-Telangana meetings, unrest and local news on its website. The Hyderabad police recently threatened Srisailam with the "worst consequences" if he continued to work for the station.

An online petition to the Indian government calling for Srisailam's release: http://www.petitiononline.com/musitv/petition.html

RSF

Two Naxals die in ‘encounter’ in Warangal

Wednesday December 12 2007 08:42 IST

Express News Service

WARANGAL/GUNTUR: Two Naxalites of the Praja Pratighatana were killed while four Maoists, including a District Committee Member (DCM), surrendered before the police in Warangal and Guntur districts on Tuesday.

According to Mulugu (Warangal district) Assistant SP Naveen Gulati, the special teams conducted searches in and around Janagala Vancha Vagu hamlet after receiving information that some Naxalites were moving in the nearby Tadwai forests.

The police came across a group of Naxalites who opened fire at them. The police returned the fire, killing two members instantly. The exchange of fire lasted for 15 minutes and the police recovered two country- made revolvers and five bullets from the site.

Two senior leaders Ashok and Suresh along with 11 others managed to escape from the scene. The police suspect that the Naxalites were trying to collect 'mamools' from the contractors who were executing works for the ensuing Medaram jatara in February next.

Meanwhile two Naxals - L Raju alias Sampath, a member of Venkatapuram dalam of CPI (Maoist) in Khammam district and G Yakaiah, who was a member of Illendu dalam of Praja Pratighatana – surrendered before Warangal district SP Sowmya Mishra.

While Raju came out of the movement due to ill-health, Yakaiah was fed up as the party failed to solve his family problems.

In Guntur district, a Maoist couple - V Narasimha Rao alias Suryam alias Vamsi and his wife Velaga Lakshmi alias Jaya surrendered before SP Mahesh Chandra Laddha.

Narasimha Rao, a native of Regulagadda village in Machavaram mandal was acting as Krishnapatti area committee DCM while Lakshmi was a member of the Bellamkonda dalam.

They took permission from the CPI (Maoist) leadership to give up arms in 2005 following health problems and were recently permitted to leave the movement after going underground in Krishna and Nalgonda districts.

According to Laddha, the couple was part of the group which triggered a landmine blast killing a circle inspector Brahmaiah and his gunman in October 2002.

They were also involved in famine raids in Morjampadu and Vemavaram villages in Machavaram mandal in 2002.

Laddha said one more couple - M Prabhakar and Nagamani - were still in the party and wanted them to return to the mainstream.

AP government attacks 75 journalists over Maoist outfits

.BREAKING NEWS.

Monday - Dec 10, 2007 Televisionpoint.com Correspondent The blatant move of Andhra Pradesh government to use incriminating evidence on the alleged links of 75-odd journalists with outlawed Maoist outfits to gag the media surprises no one. Not only successive governments in the state but also the powers-that-be at the Centre and in other states have, too often, sought to impose arbitrary curbs on the media. N. T. Rama Rao tried to bring in a Bill to place restrictions on the Press. While imposing ban on People's War Group in 1992, the then chief minister N. Janardhan Reddy had declared that the police was empowered under the AP Public Security Act to book journalists for giving publicity to Maoists. N. T. Rama Rao and Janardhan Reddy had to beat a hasty retreat in the wake of widespread protests by journalists and civil rights groups. The latest move is one in a series during the present regime to browbeat journalists who raise critical voices. A few days ago, a journalist was arrested under the Public Security Act for allegedly acting as a courier for Maoists. Only last month, two scribes were arrested in connection with a sting operation undertaken to highlight irregularities in the Indiramma housing programme. Earlier this year, the government had issued GO 938 for prosecuting newspapers and TV channels for carrying baseless and defamatory reports. The gag order was withdrawn after angry protests by the media. Though initially the Chief Minister, Dr Y. S. Rajasekhar Reddy, claimed that the GO was issued without his knowledge and the signature of the chief secretary,. File notings obtained under Right to Information Act revealed that the Chief Minister and the chief secretary had indeed approved and signed the GO 938 on February 20. The Constitution guarantees freedom of speech and expression with reasonable restrictions in certain circumstances. Any arm-twisting tactics against the media betray the nervousness of the powers-that-be who are becoming increasingly intolerant of criticism these days. But such attempts to muzzle the media would only prove counter-productive as the late Indira Gandhi realised the hard way in 1977. The press, described as the Fourth Estate, has to act as a watch-dog on the functioning of the legislature, the executive and the judiciary without fear or favour. Meanwhile, the AP CM's Office clarified that "the government has absolutely no intention to put any checks on the media and has always been maintaining cordial relations with the press and media journalists". It may be noted that media reports with the headline 75 AP scribes to have Maoist links - YSR to use data to gag journalists has heated the matter. An release informed that the arrest of television reporter, P Srisailam resulted in the arrest of a top Maoist leader. The CMO also clarified neither the government nor anybody in the government is trying to prosecute or implicate any journalist in false cases. It also denied that the government is planning to use the information to browbeat journalists. Television Point

Tamil Nadu cops nail woman Naxal

Express News Service

Chennai, December 7: The "Q" Branch of the Tamil Nadu Police on Thursday arrested a woman Maoist leader who had taken refuge in Minjur in suburban Chennai and was wanted by the Andhra Pradesh Police in several cases. Madhavi (28) had arrived in Minjur about 40 days back and was living with another Naxalite leader, N Panduranga Reddy.

The two lived as a married couple, posing as traders dealing in firewood, and were missing for a long period of time, Q Branch sources said. Their frequent absence from their rented house led to suspicion and a police team arrested Madhavi from the house on Thursday at around 6 pm. According to the sources, Madhavi and Reddy, got married about eight months back before settling in Minjur.

Police said Reddy, a top-rung Maoist leader, wanted in such cases as an assassination bid on former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu about four years ago and the recent attack on former CM N Janardhan Reddy in Nellore, was picked up by the Andhra Police on Wednesday in Prakasam district.

There were rumours on Thursday that Reddy had been arrested in Tamil Nadu. However, the state police, including Tamil Nadu DGP P Rajendran, denied this. On Friday, Q Branch officials said he had been arrested in Andhra.

Madhavi, hailing from Hyderabad, is said to have at least six cases against her, including her involvement in the Nallagunta attack on a group of policemen and Anakapalli culvert attack, targeting senior officials, both in Andhra Pradesh. According to police, she led many of these attacks, targeting politicians and policemen. When questioned by the Tamil Nadu Police, she said she had come to Minjur to recuperate after an illness.

The Tamil Nadu Police have registered a case against Madhavi under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act as she belonged to a banned organisation. Several cases have been registered against her in Andhra Pradesh, including under the AP Public Security Act, Explosive Substances Act and attempt to murder.

Living next door to Naxals, for 41 days

Saturday December 8 2007 07:53 IST

G SARAVANAN

MINJUR: Lakshmi, a 50-year-old woman living in the northern suburbs of Chennai, will now think twice before getting tenants.

In late October, she had let out a part of her house on Bhajanai Koil Street in Pungamedu locality, to a couple from Andhra Pradesh for a period of 45 days.

On the 41st day, however, it emerged that the couple — Pandu Ranga Reddy and his wife Mari alias Madhavi — were most-wanted Naxalites in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. They had rented the house saying the wife needed regular treatment in Chennai for her recurring stomach pain.

Last Wednesday morning, when the couple took a bus bound for the city, the Andhra Pradesh police intercepted it at Melur and arrested Pandu. The police, however, did not notice Madhavi and she was left behind in the bus. When she got back home, the village head and the local councillor, P Durai, took her to the police saying her husband had been kidnapped.

After initial inquiry, the police said they could not trace any incident of kidnapping that had taken place on that day, and sent them back. Around midnight on Wednesday, police surrounded the usually quiet Pungamedu locality.

Acting on a tip-off from the Andhra police, they arrested Madhavi and sent her to Puzhal prison. "It was the first time we had seen such a huge police presence, that too at midnight. People here usually don't let out their houses, but this couple managed because they said they were here for treatment," Durai told Express.

Kanmani, a teenager who lives next to Lakshmi, said, "Their activities were not suspicious, but her husband would go missing for a few days in a week."

Said Veeran, another resident: "Lakshmi is the only one in the area who can speak Telugu. Maybe that is why she let them stay, even against the wishes of her daughter and son-in-law."

It was because of the language barrier that people there hardly spoke — and got to know the couple.

New Indpress

Maoist leader Sagar produced in court in Markapuram

HYDERABAD : Top Maoist leader Tella Nagireddy Panduranga Reddy alias Pratap alias Sagar was produced before the Markapuram magistrate junior civil judge Ch. Venkat Rao at his residence on Thursday evening after an 8-hour drama.

The magistrate remanded the Maoist leader for 15 days and police transferred him to Kadapa jail with heavy security. As many as 150 scribes from various places thronged the Markapuram civil judge's court from 10 am on Thursday as the police announced the production of Sagar at 11 am in the court.
Police earlier kept Sagar at a hideout at the tourism department's Punnami guest house-cum-hotel at Peda Dornala amidst strong vigilance. Up to the last minute, they concealed this information and started from the guest house with 10 sub-inspectors and hundreds of police vehicles following.

As the police squad reached the court at 5.45 pm and the court was closed, police under the aegis of officer on special duty (OSD) R.N. Ammi Reddy produced the leader at the magistrate's house. The judge ordered 15 days of remand and police transferred Sagar to Kadapa jail.

Police arrested Sagar at Jarugumalli of Kandukur division on Wednesday and 24 cases were filed against him, the OSD said. The accused was involved in all major cases and they had already short listed 65 cases, he said. Interestingly, the police produced only Sagar without his wife Madhavi alias Mary and two others who were allegedly taken into custody with the leader.

CPI(Maoist) AP state committee member Sagar arrested

Cops spoil Maoists’ party

Friday December 7 2007 10:55 IST

VISAKHAPATNAM: The CPI (Maoist), which is observing week-long programmes to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the People's Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA)'s formation in the agency area, suffered twin blows after Greyhounds personnel repulsed an attack on them and arrested a dalam member and wife of the party's district secretary in separate incidents this morning.

In the first incident, the Maoists triggered a landmine and opened fire at a police jeep when the personnel were nearing the vehicle at a hairpin bend near Vantlamamidi village in GK Veedhi mandal. Though the vehicle was damaged, only one Greyhounds constable M Ramana was injured in the incident.

The police, however, retaliated forcing the naxalites to retreat into the nearby forests. The exchange of fire lasted for 10 minutes.

Later, Ramana was airlifted by a chopper of the Indian Navy and admitted to a private hospital here. He is said to be out of danger.

In the other incident, Korukonda dalam member and CPI (Maoist) district secretary Jagan's wife Kamalakka was arrested in Chintapalli mandal.

She is allegedly involved in 61 cases in Visakhapatnam and East Godavari districts. Visakhapatnam (rural) Superintendent of Police Akun Sabharwal confirmed the arrest of the Maoist and said she will be produced in court tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the identity of the three Naxalites, who died in an encounter on Wednesday under the Mampa police station limits, is yet to be established. The police, however, suspect they were Gopal, Krishna and Shankar, all members of the Korukonda dalam.

New Indpress

Top Maoist leader Sagar held in Chennai

Special Correspondent

ONGOLE: A top Maoist leader, Panduranga Reddy alias Sagar alias Pratap, operating in Nallamala forest of Prakasam district, was arrested in Chennai on Wednesday.

Confirming the arrest, Superintendent of Police Mr. Naveen Chand said Sagar would be produced in a court on Thursday.

Acting on some vital clues, Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) officials reportedly laid the trap and arrested him in Chennai in the morning. Local police, however, said that they have no information about the arrest in Chennai.

According to reliable information available here, SIB officials arrested two persons at Kandukur Tuesday night, and got the information that led to the arrest of Sagar in Chennai. Interestingly, P. Srisailam, one of the two persons arrested at Kandukur was an electronic media journalist from Hyderabad.

Sagar (45), who hails from Lakshmipuram village of Ardhaveedu mandal in Prakasam district, joined the extremist movement some 15 years ago. He rose to become Secretary of Nallamala Forest Divisional Committee (NFDC) operating in Prakasam district. He played a key role in almost all incidents that took place in the district like murders, destruction of property etc. After Maoists blasted a landmine in the heart of Ongole town targeting the then SP Mahesh Chandra Laddha in 2005, police tightened the leash on the extremist movement.

In quick succession, all the five leaders who participated in the landmine blast, were killed by police in different encounters.

The entire family of Sagar was dedicated to the movement. His mother, Lakshmamma was killed by police in an encounter. His sister, Bhulakshmi, was also a dalam member. While police state that she ran away with huge cash, Maoists claim that she was also killed in an encounter. His another sister, Ramulamma alias Padma, is still active in the movement and works as NFDC district committee member.

Meanwhile, the police have arrested the journalist and booked a case against him under the Public Security Act.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/12/06/stories/2007120654320100.htm

AP: Three Maoists killed in ‘encounter’

Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM: Three suspected Maoists were allegedly killed during an exchange of fire with police in Visakhapatnam agency region on Wednesday evening.

Quoting preliminary information, Superintendent of Police Akun Sabharwal told The Hindu that after the gun battle, three bodies of men were found near Edupulamma forest area in Mampa police station limits, about 130 km from here.

The encounter took place between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Due to sunset and thick forest terrains, none could reach the encounter site from the nearby police station.

Details would be available on Thursday morning, the SP said.

Maoists kill Congress leader in Andhra

Hyderabad, Dec 1 (IANS) Maoist guerrillas in Andhra Pradesh Saturday shot dead Pantu Naik, a leader of the ruling Congress party, in Mahabubnagar district.

Three Maoists gunned down Naik, president of Amangal Mandal Praja Parishad, while he was praying in a temple in Maisigandi village, police officials said.

Before fleeing into the nearby forests, the attackers left behind a letter from the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), warning of more attacks to avenge the killing of its cadres by police in allegedly stage-managed gun battles.

The attack, which took place after a long lull in Maoist activities, sent alarm bells ringing in the top echelons of the police force as officials claim to have brought Maoist activities under control with the killings of several top leaders in the last two years.

Intelligence agencies had recently warned that Maoists could launch surprise attacks as documents seized from guerrillas in Bihar and harkhand mentioned the CPI-Maoist's plans of reviving the movement in the southern state.

Politicians and policemen on the hit list of Maoists have been asked to be vigilant while moving around, especially in the interior areas.

The failed assassination attempt on former chief minister N. Janardhan Reddy in Nellore district in September, the stepped up violence in the tribal areas of Visakhapatnam district, and the unearthing of a plot to attack Congress legislator P. Ramaiah in Prakasam indicate the Maoists' resolve of reviving the movement.

Maoist violence in the state has claimed more than 6,000 lives since 1969. The state has been Mamost stronghold and it was here that the People's War Group (PWG) took birth.

http://news.monstersandcritics.com

Khammam tribals worried over Chhattisgarh conflict spill-over

Khammam tribals worried over Chhattisgarh conflict spill-over
Tuesday November 20 2007 08:53 IST

B Satyanarayana Reddy

KHAMMAM: With the Maoist- Salwa Judum conflict spilling over to Khammam district, the tribal-dominated Bhadrachalam region has turned into a war zone.

The tribals, caught in the crosshairs, are falling victims to the continuing conflicts. The Maoists have so far killed over 600 tribals in Chattisgarh since 2005 for their association with the police and the Salwa Judum, the anti-Naxal vigilante tribal force, being spearheaded by Congress MLA Mahendra Karma and backed by the BJP Government.

As a result, over 50,000 tribals have crossed over from Chattisgarh to Khammam, Warangal and Karimnagar districts. An equal number of tribals have abandoned their homes and hearths to hide in the deep forests of Chattisgarh.

They could also move to Khammam region in the coming days. The Maoists, who operate along the border and change their hideouts frequently, are enjoying a tactical advantage over the badly-outnumbered and under-equipped Chattisgarh police.

They had attacked even the police outposts with impunity and inflicted heavy casualties.

What is worrying the AP police is the Maoist plan to expand activities on this side of the Andhra-Chattisgarh border. The local tribals too are afraid that both the Maoists and the Salwa Judum could fight turf wars on this side of the border and this could adversely affect the local population.

The recent incident in which three tribals were killed by the Maoists on the suspicion of the former being police penny-droppers has only served to heighten the fears.

All the killed tribals had migrated from Chattisgarh. The local tribals feel that this could be just a beginning and more such reprisals could follow in the coming days.

Newindpress.com

Naxals kill three renegade tribals in AP

Saturday November 17 2007 10:16 IST

KHAMMAM: Stepping up their offensive, Naxalites of CPI (Maoist) hacked three tribals to death charging them with being police informers at Narsingapet village in the Bhadrachalam division in the early hours of on Friday.

This is the first time that tribals have been killed by the Maoists in a manner reminiscent of the executions of compromised tribals carried out in Chhattisgarh.

It is also for the first time that Maoist militia members carried out such an operations in the State.

Two of the victims were identified as Madakam Gangaraju, a CPM activist and a member of the Praja Natya Mandali and Sunnam Kanakaiah (50) of neighbouring Chhattisgarh. The third person was brought from Gollapalli Kistaram village in Chhattisgarh, apparently to identify the other two persons. The police are yet to establish his identity.

According to police, about 200 Gutti Koyas raided the village and asked Gangaraju and Kanakaiah to come out of their houses. After taking them some distance, the Maoists hacked them to death, rejecting their pleas for mercy. The Maoists said the three tribals were acting as police informers.

Kanakaiah, who migrated to the State, had two sons who were reportedly working in the Salwa Judum, a pro-Government organisation launched by the Chhattisgarh Government against the Maoists, in Kunta division of Chattisgarh.

The incident could be attributed to the recent medical camp conducted in the village by police and the frequent visits of police party to the village. Earlier, they killed one Srinu at Edugurallapalli of Chintoor mandal as he was taking part in Salwa Judum activities and another tribal Satyanarayana in June this year.

Source

Media protests arrest of two journalists in Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad : Media persons wore black badges and shouted slogans against the police on the premises of Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly Monday, as they protested the arrest of two journalists in Kurnool district for exposing corruption.

B. Sreeramulu and B. Urukundu, two journalists from Telugu dailies Andhra Jyothi and Andhra Bhoomi respectively, were arrested Nov 7 for exposing corruption in Indiramma housing scheme for the poor.

The journalists exposed how the officials sanctioned houses under the scheme in the names of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, state minister M. Mareppa, local legislator M. Sikhamani and film actor Nagarjuna.

Journalists got the village secretary of Laddagiri in Kodumuru mandal to sanction houses in the names of these personalities.

The investigative story published Oct 23 said village secretary K. Madduleti, for a bribe, signed the document for the release of money and cement bags for the non-existent beneficiaries.

On a complaint filed by the district officials, the police arrested the journalists. They were booked for cheating and for writing stories that harmed the reputation of the government and individual officials.

Justifying the action, police claimed that the journalists were at fault as they secured the certificate from the village secretary through fraudulent means.

Additional Director General of Police (administration) and spokesperson of the state police A.K. Khan said the scribes had criminal motive in securing blank forms and certificates.

"We have acted in accordance with the law. There is prima facie evidence of the criminal intent of the two journalists," he said.

The arrests evoked sharp reaction from the journalists. Andhra Pradesh union of working journalists condemned the arrests and demanded immediate release of the two. The union has been taking out rallies in different parts of the state to condemn the police action.

Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy has invited leaders of journalists' union for talks later Monday. State Home Minister K. Jana Reddy said the cases against the journalists could be withdrawn only if the chief minister intervenes.

The opposition parties raised the issue in both the houses of the legislature and alleged that the government was trying to gag freedom of the press.

Bharatiya Janata Party moved an adjournment motion and the entire opposition staged a walkout when their demand for a debate on the issue was disallowed.

• Add new comment

Maoist’s death: case adjourned

Legal Correspondent

---

Bench tells Advocate General to furnish the names of the police personnel involved

---

HYDERABAD: A division bench of the High Court comprising Justice Bilal Nazki and Justice Ramesh Ranganathan on Wednesday adjourned the matter pertaining to disclosure of names of police personnel involved in the 'encounter' death of Madhav, top Maoist leader, to next Wednesday.

The bench had asked the Advocate General to furnish the names of the police personnel concerned to the Court in a sealed cover.

The writ petition filed by Subhash Chandra Bose of A.P. Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC) stated that the names of police personnel belonging to Greyhounds, the anti-Naxal outfit, were not being disclosed to facilitate registering First Informatin Report in the police station concerned.

The sealed cover was displayed by the Advocate General on Wednesday, but the bench asked him to keep it with him and argue the case.

The bench did not appreciate the attitude of the A. P. Police Officers' Association in not filing its counter affidavit in spite of impleading itself.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/08/stories/2007110854650400.htm

Maoists fail in A.P., though successful in other States

With police maintaining continuous pressure, they move to other States

---

Maoists snatched 529 arms in two years in other States killing 392 security personnel

The Andhra Police have seized 201 weapons this year alone, besides 250 rockets

---

HYDERABAD: It's like watching the two ends of a spectrum. If the Maoist movement appears to be advancing unbridled in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa, it's the reverse scenario in Andhra Pradesh.

If the Maoists have succeeded in involving 'People's Militia'(people who are involved in full time revolutionary activity) in raids conducted in towns in other states, in Andhra Pradesh, it's the police which conduct raids in interior forest areas, which were hitherto billed as 'Red-bastions'.

Seizure of arms

The Maoists have snatched 529 weapons during the last two years all over the country after killing 392 personnel of the security forces, according to a latest Maoist document. The statistics with the Andhra Pradesh police too are eye-openers. The Andhra Police have seized 201 weapons this year alone, not to speak of about 250 rockets in battle-ready condition and rocket components which could make another 200 rockets, if assembled. That would mean that Andhra had reclaimed close to 40 per cent of the weapons lost in other States, if not the same weapons.

People's role crucial

Crucial to success of both the police and the naxalites is one component, that of people's participation. Naxalites have been involving general public, called 'People's Militia' in their surprise attacks in urban centres in other States. A raid on home guards training centre in Giridh, Jharkhand, yielded them 190 weapons in November 2005; R. Udayagiri town raid in Orissa in March 2006 (33 automatic weapons looted0; 18 weapons were lost in Jashpur raid in Chhattisgarh in February 2006 (18 weapons).

Precisely, it's this people's participation in the counter-ops, which helped Andhra Pradesh police unearth the arms dumps.

With relentless pressure being maintained, Maoists cadres have moved away to neighbouring states and obviously, they cannot carry their weapons.

These weapons, neatly greased and packed, are stored in plastic drums and buried in interior areas. Invariably, the police continue to get information about the dumps and seizure of weapons and explosives has continued with unfailing regularity.

In Mahabubnagar district alone, the police have seized 50 weapons, including automatic weapons like Kalshnikov rifles, SLRs and carbines, when they unearthed nearly two dozen dumps in Nallamala forests. 32 weapons were seized in Guntur district in addition to 600 rocket launchers, 50 anti-personnel pressure activated mines and 50 landmines. In Prakasam, 14 weapons have been seized followed by seven in Nalgonda this year.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/11/01/stories/2007110153790400.htm

Tide turning against Indian Maoists

By Jason Motlagh

HYDERABAD, India - An aggressive push by Indian state security forces over the past two years has blunted the Maoist insurgency in the state of Andhra Pradesh, a long-time guerrilla hotbed, but many have regrouped in remote parts of neighboring states where police remain ill-equipped to combat a surge in violence.

"There is a lull in Andhra Pradesh," said K Srinavas Reddy, a Hyderabad-based expert on the Maoist movement in India. "Police intrusion, the use of informant networks and coordination with locals have weakened the Naxalites here." Maoist insurgents are also known as Naxalites after the West Bengal town of Naxalbari where a communist armed rebellion began 40 years ago.

At the heart of the state's counter-insurgency strategy is increased patrolling in areas the guerillas have typically sought refuge in along the forested northern border with Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. An elite commando unit unique to Andhra Pradesh called the Greyhounds prowls the backcountry, supported by paid informants at the village level whose intelligence has led to the arrest or killing of several leaders.

The latest report by the Asian Center for Human Rights (ACHR), a Delhi-based thinktank that monitors insurgent groups, said that Andhra Pradesh is now far behind the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh in terms of persons killed by Naxalite-related violence. Out of a total of 384 deaths - civilians, security forces, and insurgents - between January and September, Chhattisgarh accounted for 208, or 54%; Andhra Pradesh was a distant second with 59 deaths.

This is a sharp improvement from 2005, when the state witnessed 535 incidents of violence and 208 killings, according to government figures.

A top state intelligence official who requested anonymity touted the success of the Greyhounds in beating the Naxalites at their own game. The force, which numbers around 2,000 in the state, has been operational since 1990 in small bands of 15-25 commandos that are specially trained for deep forest pursuit and combat. Over the past three years, Naxalites ranks have fallen from around 1,000 hardcore members to some 400 today, according to the official.

"We had to update our skills in forest operations," he said, noting that for many years state police were regular victims of insurgent ambushes. "[The Naxalites] have been masters of the jungle, so now we have started to dominate the jungle."

Still, the government is aware that gains made in Andhra Pradesh may have contributed to an influx of guerrilla activity across its borders, particularly in Chhattisgarh. To counter this, intelligence is being shared by state agencies to coordinate tactics, and the Greyhound model is being replicated in other Naxalite-affected states such as Jharkand and Bihar where it will soon come into force.

The government is also banking on disadvantaged tribal communities on which the Naxalites rely for shelter becoming wary of the trouble they bring with them.

In July, Naxalites in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh banned farming to protest against "the exploitation of the state's natural resources by the government". Those who defied the ban were to be given the death sentence and, according to police, at least 11 farmers in one district were killed by insurgents for working in their fields; others had their property burned or looted.

Suhas Chakma, the director of the ACHR, says that insecurity in the southernmost districts of Chhattisgarh has been compounded by the state's Salwa Judum "peace movement". Established with the intent of uniting villagers against the Naxalites, it has instead stoked violence in the region by arming poorly trained special police officers and giving them a free hand to fight. The tribals, meanwhile, are stuck in the middle.

The Andhra Pradesh intelligence official admitted he was "not in favor" of the program from the start. It should be the domain of seasoned police to bring the fight to the Naxalites, he added, as his state's successful strategy bears out.

Compared to fledgling police in Chhattisgarh, state security forces have learned from institutional experience that dates back to the late 1960s when the rebel movement first took to the Andhra Pradesh forests. There they found fertile ground among a population fed up with the vestiges of a feudal land system.

"We are the longest suffering," the official said. "There is a saying here: The oldest patient is half doctor."

But state-sponsored programs have produced unintended consequences that critics say will gradually feed another groundswell of Naxalite sympathies in Andhra Pradesh.

Greyhound personnel were reportedly behind the August 20 rape of 11 tribal women in the Visakhapatnam district. Victim testimonies gathered by rights groups say that the policemen raided their houses with charges that members of their family had links with Naxalite fighters, moving on to gang rape them. No action has yet been taken by state authorities to identify and prosecute those responsible.

Police are also accused of orchestrating "fake encounters", either killing insurgents on the pretense of defensive action or classifying the deaths of unverified criminals as Naxalites to inflate an impression of success.

A top Naxalite leader, known as Somanna, was reportedly killed in a July gun battle with police in Warangal district. However, Naxalite supporters allege he was arrested and executed in a staged manner the following day. In other affected states, Indian media have documented additional incidents in which security forces killed alleged militants who villagers claim were innocent.

The state government, for its part, rejects such allegations as part of a disinformation effort by the Naxalites to keep government forces out of villages they wish to control. Officials add that a rehabilitation program is always open to insurgents who wish to surrender, and includes a large cash sum, provided they renounce violence.

Revolutionary poet Varavara Rao, an ardent supporter of the Maoist cause, acknowledges that the Naxalite movement in Andhra Pradesh has faced setbacks. But he insists that while fighters may be depleted, grassroots support is "silent yet strong" due to the continued marginalization of tribal and lower-caste people in rural areas.

The Hyderabad native said the Naxalite insurgency has swelled and contracted over the years, likening the movement to a "phoenix bird that when killed, comes to ashes, only to rise again. In time, it will upsurge."

Reddy, the Maoism expert, said that without a development scheme that includes land reforms that favor the tribals, the insurgency will not die away. He cited a September 7 landmine attack by Naxalites on former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Janardhana Reddy and his wife during a village tour as evidence that no amount of heavy-handed action can eliminate the threat. Although the couple survived, three members of their convoy were killed.

"Ultimately, no government can get rid of this movement through force," he said. "Control it, yes, but they'll never get rid of it."

Jason Motlagh is a freelance journalist based in Delhi. This story was reported with a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/IJ19Df03.html