E-Paper
6 Maoists killed in Telangana gunfight, 2 jawans injured
Six Maoist were killed after an exchange of fire between Communist Party of India (Maoist) and security forces in Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana.
Six Maoists, including two women, were killed after an exchange of fire between the cadres of banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) and security forces in Bhadradri Kothagudem district of Telangana, bordering Chhattisgarh, on Thursday, police said.
Two commandos of the Greyhounds, the elite anti-Maoist force of the Telangana Police, were also injured in the encounter that occurred around 6.45 am in the Neeladrigutta forest area and were shifted to a hospital, officers said, adding they security personnel are stated to be out of danger.
Bhadradri Kothagudem superintendent of police (SP) B Rohit Raju told reporters that gunfight broke out near Raghunadhapalem village, when the armed Maoists opened fire indiscriminately on the team of Greyhounds commandos which was on a combing operation in the forest area.
“Six Maoists were killed, and two security personnel were injured in the exchange of fire,” the SP said, adding a huge cache of arms and ammunition was seized from the spot.
The identity of the slain ultras was being ascertained and the bodies have been shifted to Kothagudem government hospital for post-mortem examination, the senior officer said.
Another police officer, requesting anonymity, however, said the deceased included CPI (Maoist) Palvancha-Manuguru-Karakagudem divisional committee commander Lachanna, a native of Rayapadu in neighbouring Chhattisgarh carrying a ₹10-lakh reward on his head.
Lachanna had 50 cases registered against him at various police stations, the officer added.
This was the second biggest encounter since the formation of Telangana in 2014, only behind the Jayashankar Bhupalpally encounter in March 2018 in which 10 Maoists were killed.
The gunfight came close on the heels of a major encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Tuesday, when security forces neutralised nine Maoists, including a top cadre Macherla Esobu, who was also known by aliases like Jagan, Dada Randev, and Randhir. Esobu, who hailed from Tekulagudem in Telangana’s Hanamkonda district, had a bounty of ₹25 lakh on his head.
“In the wake of intensifying operation by the security forces in the name of Operation Kagar in the forests of Chhattisgarh, some Maoist cadres are trying to enter into the border areas in search of a safe zone,” the second officer said. “In the present instance, a group of Chhattisgarh-based armed Maoist rebels might have crossed over the forest border into Telangana, that led to Thursday’s encounter.”
