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Maoist martyrs’ week: Telangana, Andhra put forces on high alert in bordering areas
In the posters, the CPI (Maoist) called upon the people of the two states to recall the sacrifices made by the Maoist leaders and cadres while fighting for the cause of Adivasis and the liberation of their areas from the corporate and mining mafia.
Telangana and Andhra Pradesh police are on a high alert in the areas bordering Chhattisgarh and Odisha states in the wake of the martyrs’ week being observed by the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) starting Thursday.
Every year, the Maoists observe the martyrs’ week to commemorate the death anniversary of the founder-member of the Naxalite movement Charu Majumdar, who died in police custody on July 28, 1972.
Posters put up by the Maoists have surfaced in the tribal villages of Venkatapuram and Vajedu of Mulug district of Telangana bordering Chhattisgarh and Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR), Parvatipuram Manyam and Srikakulam districts of Andhra Pradesh, bordering Odisha.
In the posters, the CPI (Maoist) called upon the people of the two states to recall the sacrifices made by the Maoist leaders and cadres while fighting for the cause of Adivasis and the liberation of their areas from the corporate and mining mafia.
“During the week, the Maoists indulge in sporadic violent incidents to prove their existence. So, we have kept the forces on high alert in all the border areas. We have stepped up combing operations by drawing additional forces from various wings of the police, including special police forces and Greyhounds,” ASR district superintendent of police (SP) S Satish Kumar told reporters.
The recent arrest of a top Maoist leader Vanthala Ramakrishna alias Prabhakar alias Ashok, secretary of the Pedabayalu-Korukonda area committee, and the subsequent surrender of nearly 60 Maoists made a big dent in the party ambitions on the Andhra-Odisha border.
“To cover up these setbacks, the Maoists might indulge in some lightning attacks during this week. Hence, we have been on the alert,” the SP said.
The police have also sounded alert to all the public representatives, including the local MLAs and ministers, asking them to refrain from touring the Maoist-sensitive areas this week.
