Were Three Top Maoists Killed in an Encounter with Police in Andhra?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- The encounter resulted in the death of three prominent Maoist leaders.
- The incident highlights the ongoing conflict between Maoists and security forces.
- Authorities recovered three AK-47 rifles from the scene.
- The event is viewed as a major setback for the Maoist organization.
- It reflects the challenges faced by law enforcement in combating Maoist insurgency.
Visakhapatnam, June 18 (NationPress) Three prominent leaders of CPI(Maoist) were killed during a gunfight with police in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday.
The confrontation took place in the Devipatnam forest area along the Andhra-Odisha border, involving members of the elite anti-Maoist unit known as Greyhounds.
While conducting a combing operation, the Greyhounds spotted the Maoists and called for their surrender. When fired upon, the security forces retaliated, resulting in the death of the three Maoists. The encounter occurred near Kondamodalu in the forested region between Rampachodavaram and Maredumilli mandals.
The deceased Maoists have been identified as Gajarla Ravi alias Uday, who served as the secretary of the Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) Special Zone Committee, along with committee members Aruna and Anju. Ravi was also a member of the CPI(Maoist) Central Committee.
Authorities recovered three AK-47 rifles from the encounter site.
Aruna was related to Ramachandra Reddy alias Chalapathi, a Central Committee member who was killed along with 14 other Maoists by security forces in January in Chhattisgarh near the Odisha border.
Aruna was implicated in the murders of Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma, both of whom were shot dead by the Maoists in 2018 in Visakhapatnam district. A native of Karakavanipalem in Pendurthi mandal, Aruna had a bounty of Rs 25 lakh on her head, as did Uday.
The bodies of the deceased Maoists were transported to the Rampachodavaram Area Hospital.
Senior police officials have visited the site of the encounter.
The death of these three Maoist leaders represents a significant setback for the outlawed group in the AOB region.
The AOB has been viewed by Maoists as a secure route connecting the Dandakaranya region in Chhattisgarh with the forests of Jharkhand.
This latest complication for the Maoists in the AOB follows a series of operations where several Maoists were neutralized by security forces in Chhattisgarh as part of Operation Kagar.