Maoists kill four in Rayagada

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Source: The Hindu (http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/11/12/stories/2009111252280300.htm)
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Orissa
  

Maoists kill four in Rayagada


Staff Reporter

Police sound alert and intensify combing operation in the district

The naxals brand the four as police informersOne person injured and being treated in hospital
BERHAMPUR: After lull of a few months, Maoists struck in south Orissa on Tuesday night and killed four persons at Pandratala village under the Chandili police station in Rayagada district.
Around 50 armed Maoists were involved in the act. They called up their victims from their homes and shot them dead. The deceased were identified as Lanka Dharma Rao, Anand Mandangi, Prahlad Kondagiri and Dharmapani Kondagiri. They also critically injured P. Ramesh, who is undergoing treatment in the Rayagada district hospital. Dharma, Anand and Prahlad died at the village. Dharmapani and Ramesh were taken to the Rayagada hospital in a serious condition. Dharmapani succumbed to his injuries in the hospital. “As per information, a group of Maoists who were speaking in Telugu and Hindi killed four persons,” Rayagada Superintendent of Police Ashish Kumar Singh said.
Following this incident, police sounded red alert in the district and intensified combing operation.
It is said to be a retaliatory act of the Maoists against the series of arrests and surrender of their cadre in the district during the past few months.

Terror tactics
The Maoists branded their victims as police informers. Through these murders they had tried to terrorise the newly- recruited ‘Special Police Officers (SPO)’ in the district as well as the persons opposed to them in remote areas. One of their victims, Anand was an SPO, who had come over to his in-laws’ house at Pandratala. Dharma had faced their attack in 2002. Prahlad’s brother, Anant Kondagiri, who was the sarpanch of Rekhapadar was killed by Maoists in 2007. The Maoists left posters in Telugu and Oriya threatening people to refrain from joining the police force.
According to sources, the Maoists first rounded up the village. Their first target was Anand. He was dragged out of the house while his wife and in-laws wailed to pray for his life. But Anand was shot dead from close range. Next was the turn of Dharma’s family. His house was totally ransacked.
His family members were locked up while he was dragged out to be shot dead. Similar was the fate of Prahlad, Dandapani and Suresh.
Through a series of arrests and surrenders, the security forces had tried to root out the ‘shells’ and strategic contact points of Maoists in remote areas in Rayagada district. Since May, some 27 active Maoists were arrested in the district. Seven Maoists, including two couples, have surrendered. Maoists had tried to retaliate in August. They had tried to rebuild their lost ground through a few acts of violence. They had murdered a person at Gurukul village in August and through a press release had also threatened to kill the Rayagada SP.
Police officials feel the recent murder of innocents is part of their strategy to regain support of localites of remote areas through terror tactics.


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