Maoists strike in Gadchiroli, gun down ex-sarpanch

After a lull, the naxalites struck in Gadchiroli again. On late Tuesday night, the naxalites killed a villager on pretext of his being a police informer in Motala-Tekdi village near Sironcha bordering Andhra Pradesh.

According to reports reaching here, a gang of 10-15 armed Maoists stormed the Motala-Tekdi village and enquired about Narayan Srirangi (33) who was at home. They armed naxals went to his home, dragged him out and shot him in front of several villagers.

After killing him, the red rebels told the villagers for not cooperating with the police in any way, else they would face a similar fate. All the naxalites fled from the scene after the act, the reports said.

However, the district poilice maintained that Narayan was never a police informer. He was former sarpanch of the village. In another incident, the naxalites opened fire at a police party, that was on a routine patrolling in the jungle, near Aheri jungles on Tuesday evening. The police gave a befitting reply, forcing the naxals to beat a hasty retreat.

"No person from either side was injured or killed in the exchange of fire," officials of the the district police control room said.

Meanwhile, senior naxalite leader Bandarapu Mallaiah alias Chandranna alias Sekhar and his wife Gadegoni Balavva alias Vijaya would be brought to Gadchiroli for interrogation. Chandranna and Vijaya had surrendered before the Kothagudam police in Karimnagar district of Andhra Pradesh on Monday. Chandranna was the south Gadchiroli CPI (Maoist) committee secretary while Vijaya was a member of the Maharashtra committee of the ultra-left organisatiion. Both belong to Manthani in Karimnagar district and were active in Maoist movement since late 80s.

Chandranna was involved in several naxalite violent activities, including attack on police station at Asarali in south Gadchiroli in which 5 policemen were killed and an attack on a police party in a jungle near Laheri in Gadchiroli in 2009 in which 15 police personnel were killed.

Chandranna might have opted to surrender before the AP police because no surrender policy exists in Maharashtra, says Mohd Suvez Haque, the superintendent of police (SP), Gadchiroli district.

"We have already contacted the AP police for taking the custody of Chandranna for interrogation and hopeful that he and his wife would be handed over to the Maharashtra police soon in this regard," Haque said.