India - people's war attacks

Over 250 armed Maoists sneak into agency from Chhattisgarh
VISAKHAPATNAM: Outwitting the move of the security agencies to strengthen their presence in the Agency area of Visakhapatnam, Maoists have virtually doubled the presence of their armed cadres there. AP Police and the central forces are now apprehensive of a major offensive by Naxals in this region in the coming days. “Till October, there were about 250 armed Naxals in the Agency area. Since then, almost another 250 of the cadre has infiltrated into Vizag from Chhattisgarh,” top police sources told TOI.
The development comes a few days after the AP government put in a request with the Centre for deployment of a second CRPF battalion in Agency to counter the fortification of the Maoists in the wake of the anti-bauxite mining protests “We came to know that there has been a very large deployment of additional forces by the Maoists from Chhattisgarh into the Agency area. Several villagers have told us that they have sighted new faces. This points to the new cadre having come from Chhattisgarh. Our forces are on the alert and would soon intensify the combing operations,” Visakha Rural SP Koya Praveen told TOI. The new Maoists cadres have been spotted in Pedabayalu, GK Veedhi and Korukonda of the Agency area as well as in Kalimela, Podia, Narayanapatna, and the cut-off area near Balimela reservoir on the Odisha side of the Andhra-Odisha border. According to sources, the Maoists are taking all steps to ensure that the new cadre are not easily visible to villagers.

Attack on mine site in Kanker
..In the same district, Naxals today set on fire at least 20 vehicles and machines engaged in mining work. These included 13 trucks and 6 Poclain machines (excavators). No one was hurt in the incident, police said. A group of armed ultras raided the Hahaladdi iron ore mining site under the limits of Durgukondal Police Station this evening. After asking the labourers and drivers to leave the place, they torched at least 20 vehiclesand machines engaged in mining work, Meena said…

Chhattisgarh: Naxalites call for shutdown after setting ablaze 25 vehicles in Kanker

A group of about 150 Naxalites have set afire 25 vehicles in Kanker and called for shutdown in the region on Wednesday, reports said. The development comes after Naxal commander Podia was gunned down by the police in Kesapur village of the restive Dantewada district at 1pm on Tuesday. Following a tip-off on Naxal movement, the District Reserve Group of the state led an operation near Tongpal police station area with team of 10 personnel.

Maoist kill Naib Sarpanch in Bolangir
Bolangir: Maoists killed Naib Sarpanch Alekha Majhi of Bagdore gram panchyat under the Belpada PS on Monday night. The incident took place when Majhi was returning home from his brick kiln on a bike. Around 7-8 Maoists intercepted Majhi, tied his hands and took him away. The red rebels held a meeting and killed Majhi accusing him of being a police informer. The ultras left posters in which it was mentioned that Majhi had informed the location of some Maoists in 2013. Panic gripped the area after the incident. The deceased is survived by his wife and a five-year-old daughter
Maoists sending cadre from Chhattisgarh to AOB
A battalion in uniformed forces’ term consists of 1200 men but for Maoists it is half the size.
One “company” each is positioned in Andhra and Odisha. The CPI (Maoist) is strengthening its presence in the Andhra-Odisha Border area by sending its cadres from Chhattisgarh. This is probably to continue its strong presence after recruitment from local Girijans has come down considerably during the last few years. One “battalion” consisting of 500 to 600 Maoists have been reportedly positioned in Andhra and Odisha border. A battalion in uniformed forces’ term consists of 1200 men but for Maoists it is half the size.
One “company” each is positioned in Andhra and Odisha. This is probably to strengthen the party’s presence as the local Girijans have rose as one to oppose the bauxite mining plans of the State and Central governments in the Visakha and East Godavari Agency area , to start with at Jerrela for which a GO was issued facilitating forest clearance. The security forces have reportedly got conformation of induction of Chhattisgarh cadre in the AOB area after the attack on a BSF party at a place under Chitrakonda police station in Odisha on the border with AP and a few other incidents in Visakha Agency.

The physical structure and the “language” (Hindi, since it is not Telugu or Oriya) as described by some witnesses point out to the fact that they are from Chhattisgarh. The new group is not coming directly in contact with the local villagers and is moving on its own. The Maoists from Chhattisgarh are mostly from a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group and are influencing villagers from the same PVTG community in the Visakha Agency, who themselves have relocated here after being evicted from their original habitats in Odisha and other places due to projects set up there. The situation made the security forces to intensify their combing operations even as the locals wait in apprehension on how the situation would be with anti-bauxite agitation picking up.MAOISTS ABDUCT 6 TRS LEADERS, DEMAND END TO ANTI-NAXAL OP
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) Government faced its first serious challenge from the outlawed CPI-Maoist after the ultras abducted six party leaders in Khammam district bordering Chhattisgarh. In a letter signed by CPI-Maoist spokesperson Jagan, the ultras demanded immediate end to the encounters across Telangana failing which they threatened to kill all the six hostages. Also, they demanded immediate halt to the combing operation by the Greyhound force in Khammam and Adilabad districts.
According to police, the six leaders — Mane Ramakrishna, in charge of Bhadrachalam Assembly constituency, Patel Venkateshwarulu, former Cherala Mandal president, S Suresh, former Mandal secretary, Satyanarayana, former president of Venakatapuram mandal, Rama Krishna, former Sarpanch of Pusuguppa and D Janardhan, former president of Wajedu Mandal — were called by the Maoists for talks at Pusuguppa village under Cherla mandal on Wednesday evening but were not allowed to return. The demand letter that also carried the news of their abduction was sent through courier late on Thursday evening, said officials.
The handwritten letter in Telugu threatened that the Maoists will now start targeting the TRS leaders all over the State if their demand for an end to the encounter was not met. The letter demanded action against police officials involved in the “fake encounter” in Warangal in September last in which two people, including a woman, were killed. Jagan also called upon the people to boycott the Warangal Lok Sabha by-election scheduled for Saturday. The demand was made in the context of a series of incidents of armed clashes between the Maoists and police in northern Telagana district. While two suspected Maoists were killed by police in Warangal, two Maoists were injured or died in an encounter in Khanapur in Adilabad district on Thursday.
Maoists and the human rights organisation have termed the Warangal incident as a fake encounter and held Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directly responsible for it. Police officials said efforts were being made to establish contacts with the Maoists through couriers as the ultras were not using any electronic communication tools fearing that police could trace their location and launch an operation to rescue the hostages. Police and security forces were on a high-alert in Khammam district and vehicles were being searched. And as security was stepped up in the locality, authorities received a second warning letter from Maoists claiming that if any movement of police and security forces was observed in the vicinity they would kill the captives.
This has created confusion in the administration at the district level, as the officials have no idea how to tackle the crisis and how to approach the Maoists. “We are waiting for the clear instructions from seniors,” a local police official said. The hostages are being kept in the deep forest area surrounded by the armed Maoists, said sources. The family members and relatives of the hostages have gathered in Pusuguppa village and tension was prevailing. TRS member of Assembly from Khammam district J Venkata Rao said the State police was on the job.
“We are in touch with police who are chalking out a strategy for the release of our district-level leaders”, he said. The abduction incident has sparked fears of the return of violent activities of Maoists to the region after a gap of nearly ten years. Also, the alarming incident has come in the backdrop of a series of intelligence warning that the Maoists are trying to infiltrate from Chattisgarh and Maharashtra and regroup themselves through fresh recruitment of youth. Meanwhile, in another development Maoists have put up wall posters in Venkatapuram mandal announcing that the anniversary of People’s Liberation Guerilla Army will be celebrated from December 2 to 8. Such occasions in the past witness a surge in the violent activities and attacks by the Maoists, said sources.