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.