Volume 3, No. 12, December 2002

Repression and Retaliation in AOB region

Andhra Orissa Border Special Zone is yet another field of enemy’s repression. The AP government even during the period of ‘talks’, and during the ceasefire from the side of the party continued combing operations in a planned way and in selected areas.

The APSP, ANS, and CRPF, ASF police forces were deployed in the East division from August to December 2001. This was their preparation after being put on defensive by the PGA forces. The police force took charge in Y.Ramavaram, Adda-theegala, Kothuru (East Godavri district) Chintapalli, Gudem Kotta veedhi and Koyyuru (Visakha district). In addition to this, hundreds of police were deputed in the nearby police stations. The DGP of the state toured the districts and conducted co-ordination meetings with the Orissa police officers. Police stations were fortified. Modern weapons like AK 47, SLRs, LMGs, Insas, 2 inch mortars, grenade launchers; high power frequency communication sets, night visions, signal guns, etc. were used. The informer network was developed. Police were given field training.

The enemy concentrated on relatively convenient terrain. The police were deployed in large numbers and the squads were forced to limit themselves in certain areas. All sections were pressurized not to supply anything to the naxalities. Around 300 police were deputed in an area of 500 – 600 sq.km. In Konalova and Palakajeedi squad areas, combining operations were taken up from December 1st to 2nd week of January in all the squad areas of the Division with a minimum force of 70 police. The enemy attacked the dens and tried to ambush.

The enemy concentrated on Palakajeedi and Konalova areas from the 2nd week of January to April. Activists were arrested in the first round and the enemy gained command over the area. They continued attacks in a more planned way. 15 to 20 member batches of the ANS, SSF, CRPF attacked five to six areas simultaneously. Killing of a notorious informer Errayya and an ambush in Jajigedda made the enemy step back temporarily.

Forces were once again concentrated from 20th April to 10th May. Hundred and fifty police under the leadership of an OSD seiged the roads and routes to the villages. People were not allowed to move normally. Combing continued day and night and ambushes were attempted. Seventy personnel in Jangulathota, 50 in Cheedipalem, 40 in Madukota and Jyothulamamidi were in temporary police camps from May 7th. On 9th May the enemy attempted an ambush in ‘L’ formation in Gaddimamidi village in Palakajeedi area. Early next morning the Palakajeedi squad was caught in the ambush. The squad could escape without any loss. The police batch chasing the squad, was trapped by militia teams in Kantharam village. With this, the enemy fled. Police forces temporarily withdrew from the area.

The enemy tried to hit the militia in the villages, the local traders were forced to vacate the area. Families began leaving the area out of fear. Villagers were severely tortured for information about the squads. Thirty-three youth were arrested from 15th December to 10th May. Eighteen persons of these were tortured for months together. Eleven persons were tortured and left without any cases. Another four are still in jail. A number of activists were arrested and foisted with false cases in Korukonda LGS area.

The people are unable to do their daily chores, and fear to go out of their villages. The local traders are not allowed to bring commodities in big amounts. People are being caught at the markets and so they are unable to get their daily necessities from the markets. Lawyers, journalists, teachers, traders, government employees, none are exempted from police attacks.

Persons approaching the police stations with personal problems are tortured for information about squads. Ex-activists, lumpen youth, non-tribal landlords who are punished by the party are turned as informers. Telugu Desam leaders and village heads are also being turned as informers who are being allotted small weapons. They are paid monthly salaries, provided houses in town areas, given police jobs and other facilities. Persons giving information secretly are being allotted phones/wireless sets. They are sent to the villages in various guises to gather information about the movements of squads and sympathisers.

Apart from these physical attacks, the police higher-ups have actively taken the propaganda war. They are forming cultural teams and arranging performances in local markets and Mandal centres. Photos of activists are pasted throughout the division. The police announced rewards for the same. Intellectuals are warned for their sympathy towards the movement. They issue press statements maligning the movement from time to time.

In Srikakulam division, Aviri squad area was the main concentration point for the enemy. They took up new methods of repression. The people attending meetings were photographed, identified and later attacked. False cases are foisted upon them. Around 200 people were arrested in the wake of the attack on rice mills, blasting of a forest guesthouse, road roller and the Nadimguda ambush. Police have been moving during the nighttime. They are raiding the villages early morning and picking up people. They are being severely beaten, taken around nearby villages and are threatened if they help the squads. Grains and other household items are taken out and burnt. Houses of leaders of mass organisation are burnt, money and gold are stolen. In Dermbada village, two tolas of gold, eleven thousand rupees cash and peerless bonds worth ten thousand rupees were taken away. Cereals and rice were burnt. Biddika Radho died out of severe beatings. The police stole around sixty kilos of sugar and pulses from the GCC depot and propagated that it was the actions of Naxalites and people.

Police are taking Sangham leaders out of the village on some pretext and are arresting them. If they do it in the village people would resist. Appalasway of Gandra village was arrested this way. Nirmala Surayya of Dukkulaguda was taken to Mondemkhal, Neelakanthapuram police stations and tortured. He was coerced to admit to a murder which he did not commit. He was asked about the information of bombs, where the meetings were held, who attended etc.,

The police take fruits, grain, and other items of the villagers and never pay. When a farmer asked for money he was beaten. In the name of searching for guns, the police have been destroying sickles and other such agricultural implements. Neelakantha-puram, Mondenkhal, Gummalaksh-mipuram, Kotheru, Kurupam and other such police stations were turned into chambers of torture. They are not even provided food until produced in the court. Thirty to seventy police were raiding the villages as a team. The villagers were arrested in local markets. Fifteen persons were arrested in the Bhamini market. Hostel students were beaten for maintaining relations with naxalites. Police stay on hostel roofs and observe the visitors. Students of G. Sivada and Duddukallu residential schools were arrested. Suman of the Bhamini hostel was arrested and tortured.

Tribals going to the town areas are checked. Any new person in the towns is arrested. No one is allowed to move in front of the police stations. People going to the Bathili Cinema hall are arrested. They were released only after a person of the town identified them. This situation prevails in all the market places under the division. Villages up the hill are forced to come down. If not, they are warned to be having relations with the squads. Kotkonda is one such village. After the famine raid on the Ghanasara rice mill the police raided the nearby villages and seized rice that people bought from the GCC also. Thatimanuguda is one such village.

Base camps were established in the agency area like Madinai village and combing done in an area of 20 kms. They are simultaneously trying to ambush in several places. Police are moving in various formations. They are given field training in the forest area. Additional forces were deployed in all the police stations. Fortifications of various kinds are being built up. Surrendered militia comrades are put in the police stations as covers. They are made to be on sentry at telephone exchanges and mandal offices at the time of bandhs. People have been terrorised by large number of police with modern weapons and with warnings that those helping naxalites would be shot. After the ambush on the DSP jeep, Pulaka Komma of Kotakonda village was arrested and shot dead. It was presented as an encounter. Maitri associations are formed by the police in each and every village with a view to turn someone or other into informers later. Police conduct three tent programmes (three pronged programmes) in weekly bazars supplying medicines; receiving applications regarding people’s problems; and perform cultural performances against the party.

Retaliation by PGA In East Division

Amidst the severe repression, local guerilla squads and PGA forces showed enough courage to retaliate against the enemy. In LGS areas of Palakajeedi and Konalova, few actions took place. On the very day the party announced a ceasefire with the AP state government (i.e.10th May), there was firing on the Palakajeedi squad. On receiving the information, a platoon engaged in two batches and fired at the police. Firing went on for one and a half hours. The enemy took the people as a cover and beat a retreat. They left two kits and the platoon secured a night vision, signal gun and wireless sets. Police force got demoralised and withdrew from the area.

The same day, (on 10th May), Galikonda squad observed a combing batch and made an opportunity ambush. Two police were injured in the ambush. The guerillas ambushed a police batch in Jajigedda in Palaka-jeedi area. A CID who informed about the squad and was roaming about like a mad person, was annhilihated by PGA in Palakajeedi area.

In Orissa, chowkidars are paid, lumpens are lured with money by police and are turning them into police agents. The PGA got hold of one Rahul who was informing the police about the squad. He developed a network of informers with his relatives in the areas of Palakajeedi and Korukonda. They were exposed among the people and were left. Ramakrishna of Y. Ramavaram in East Godavari district goes around as a lawyer and deceived people that he would get them out of jail. He developed relations with the people in the name of applying bail for the arrested persons. He was first interrogated and then put before the people. He was warned for his nefarious activities.

In Srikakulam Division too, PGA did retaliatory actions. When Palaka Komma was killed, hundres reached the spot and took the body. People openly said he was murdered by the police. Adivasi leaders issued press statements condemning the murder.

Karmiguda, a village in Gogupadu panchayat of Gumupur block in Rayagada district of Orissa state is frequently visited by Andhra police. It has become a common feature for them to terrorise the people. So they decided to retaliate under the leadership of the sangham. When the police came to the village and tried to arrest a youth, all of them came together and questioned the police. When the police tried to beat them, they retaliated with whatever they could. Women were in the forefront in beating the police. Issue gained seriousness. Four policemen were severely beaten and their shirts torn. One police fell down. Rest of them ran away. People wanted to seize the SLR of the policeman who fell down. But the sarpanch of Gogupadu warned them not to take it. The police returned with another fifteen policemen and carried away the policeman.

Inspird by the Karmiguda people, people of Murtali village of Kolnar block in Rayagada district of Orissa too taught a lesson to the police. Thirty police came into the village and tried to break into the houses. They attacked the police with brooms, agricultural implements and whatever they could gather. Police fled away. People chased them and challenged them to come and arrest the naxalites in their houses. The women even ran to attack other police who were waiting in ambush. But the police knew of the incident through wireless and escaped. The people of the surrounding villages of Boringpay, Pandrathala, Bonamal-liguda also reached the spot on receiving information but got disappointed as the police fled away from the scene.

The incident in Deruwada market on the March ’02 is one more example of people’s resistance. Around 75 police men suddenly came to the market place and picked up two peasants. The police began dragging the two of them. People got angry. They had seen how the police destroyed their houses and property a few days earlier. They lost Radhav. They did not want another loss. More than five hundred people – women, men, children took whatever they could and chased police throwing stones at the them. Police bore SLR, SMC, AK and other such weapons, but could not withstand the people’s resistance. In fleeing four policemen got injured.

On 13th March the Bhamini MRO office was blasted in protest against the Tupakulagudem encounter. The local DSP came to visit the place and was ambushed. He escaped with injuries.

Perhaps it is an invention of Indian ruling classes. The British who ruled us were not quite ingenious in the methods invented by Indian security forces. Liquidate insurgents, inconvenient people and call it encounter.

Doubts began to arise, as in many of these encounters, insurgents are killed and security personnel not even injured. How perfectly the police and paramilitary personnel shoot!

In the post emergency period, a genuine democratic movement arose against these extra judicial killings. Bhargava commission was appointed to inquire into those incidents. Though none was punished really, people became conscious about these nefarious killings by the state.

Governments changed. But the liquidation of revolutionaries continued. Wherever the people revolted with arms or without arms, the state, despite equipped with fascist laws, continued to resort to extra-judicial killings. As the state always stood by the police and para-military forces protecting them to the hilt, the police began doing it in otherwise non insurgent areas too. UP is an example.

Andhra Pradesh has gained notoriety for these killings.

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