Visakhapatnam: Tension gripped Vizag Agency, particularly in Chintapalle region ahead of the CPI Maoist bandh on October 30.
The bandh call has been given by East Division Maoist Committee in protest against the lynching of three of their armed cadre including divisional committee member of Korukonda area committee S. China Ranga Rao alias Sharath by locals. Security forces have been put on high alert apprehending violence and the police are not taking the Maoist threat lightly suspecting that the rebels may go for a massive style attack anywhere to eliminate some targeted persons, including tribals to show their existence.
It may recalled that in the recent past, rare reversal of battle at Balapam area under Chintapalle mandal in Vizag Agency, the red-rebels tasted backlash from a group of villagers, one of whom they had killed accusing him of being a police informer. The villagers were enraged over gunning down of a tribal Gemmili Sanjeeva Rao, 39, by Maoists branding him as a police informer on October 19 evening at Veeravaram and in retaliation, the villagers killed three ultras.
Superintendent of police (Visakha Rural) Koyya Praveen said in view of bandh call, security has been tightened in sensitive areas under GK Veedhi, Chintapalle, G Madugula, Koyyuru and a few other Maoists’ stronghold mandals in the district. He said apart from ensuring deployment of addition police and paramilitary forces at all the strategic places, the combing operations and patrolling had been intensified to check the possibility of entry of Maoists from the neighbouring Odisha.
Intelligence sources said that the Maoists have claimed that they have identified 19 people involved in the murder of their three cadre and asked them to admit their mistake. There are a few chances that the rebels may take revenge. However, security was beefed up to prevent any backlash by the Maoists or within the tribals as Sanjeeva Rao was a PTG tribal and militia members members who were killed were Bhagata and there is traditional rivalry between the two tribes in Vizag Agency, they added.
