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It was night 8.15 pm
on Aug.8. The PGA platoons divided into two detachments and launched
simultaneous raids on the Kalimela and Motu police stations of Orissa. The
Kalimela raid was a total success, while in the Motu raid the PW lost three
valuable comrades, including the South Bastar Divisional Committee member, Com.
Kranti Ranadev.
First the Kalimela
raid. On a signal given by the PGA commander, the guerrillas stormed the police
station (PS) with automatic firing. Three policemen were killed on the spot,
including the SI of the PS. Many more were injured. Within 15 minutes, all the
policemen surrendered to the PGA. Abiding by the Party’s principle of not
harming enemy soldiers, the guerrillas seized all the weapons and then set them
free, after explaining to them about the political aims of the Party and the PGA.
As this was a more fortified PS the guerrillas concentrated a greater force on
this PS than at Motu. The PGA got a good cache of arms from this raid. Arms
seized from this PS were: AK-47 - 4; SLR - 4; Sten Carbines - 4; .303 rifles -
22; .410 muskets - 4; LMG - 1; 2" Mortar - 1; Tear gas gun - 1; Flare gun - 1
and 9MM pistol - 1. (Total 43 weapons). Also at least 4,000 rounds of various
types of ammunition were also seized. After the success the PGA guerrillas
marched away raising slogans on the onward march of the people’s war for the
building of Base Areas.
The Motu PS lies on
the Sabri River, which divides Orissa from Chattisgarh. On the other side of the
river is the Konta PS. The battle began on that fateful night of Aug.8th. Due to
some flaws in coordination between the teams, the PGA fighters were unable to
storm the PS. Yet, in the action two policemen were killed, including the
assistant SI of the PS, and many more were injured. In an attempt to blast the
PS, the guerrillas placed explosives on the roof of the PS. But, unfortunately
Com. Ranadev, instead of detonating these explosives, mistakenly detonated a
claymore mine tied to his waist, killing himself and Com. Vijay (Commander of
the Korukonda LGS, East Division, AOB). Also, Com. Mallesh, of Platoon IV of the
DK guerrilla zone, was hit in LMG fire and died a heroic death fighting the
cruel enemy. As coms. Ranadev and Vijay’s bodies were blown to pieces; they
could not be retrieved by the guerrillas, but the comrades retrieved that of
com. Mallesh, and he was cremated with full revolutionary honours. Though the
battle raged for hours, and the sound of the gunfire was clearly audible to the
police stationed at the Konta PS, they did not dare to come to the assistance of
their collaborators across the river. The cowards merely fired blindly into the
night from the safety of the windows of their PS.
Com.Ranadev was a
senior member of the PW Party. Earlier he was the secretary of the Warangal
District Committee in AP. He was a great fighter with a brilliant record of
crushing the enemy. In the earlier days, it was he who led the action teams in
the elimination of the notorious police officers, Yadagiri Reddy (SI of Kazipet
PS) and Satyanarayana Reddy (CI of Madikonda, Warangal). He had also led a raid
on Vajedu PS, Khammam district, in which all the weapons were seized.
Ranadev hails from
Warangal city. Born in 1960, into a working class family, he joined the RSU
while studying in the CKM college in his home city. His father was a founder
member of the railway mazdoor union and participated in the anti-British
movement in the 1940s. His eldest borther, Bhishmedev, was killed by the police
for being close to the Party. In 1980 com. Ranadev went underground. In 1991 he
was arrested, but was released in a swap after an MLA was kidnapped. On hearing
of his death, his mother stated that she was proud that her son had sacrificed
his life for a just cause.
In the funeral
procession taken out in his home district of Warangal, thousands participated in
paying revolutionary homage to their beloved son.
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