Araku Valley killing: TDP leaders ignored warnings

Visit to village was publicised, say police

DIG of Visakhapatnan (Range) Ch. Srikanth, said the two Telugu Desam Party leaders — Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma — who were shot dead on Sunday morning allegedly by CPI (Maoist) cadre, had not heeded warnings against travelling in the Visakhapatnam agency area without prior information to the police.

Well-planned attack

The attack, reportedly organised by the Nandapur Area Committee of the Maoists, appears to be a well-planned one. Despite the police advising the leaders not to publicise movements in advance, their visit to the village for the gram darshini programme became known and the Maoists were aware of their proposed visit.

The Nandapur Dalam is led by Aruna, the wife of senior Maoist leader Chalapathi.

“There was prior information and the standard operating procedures were not observed by the MLA and the former MLA. Both were on the hit list of the Maoists and they walked into the danger zone,” said a senior officer from the intelligence wing.

The village where the attack took place is around 15 km from Araku and about 12 to 15 km from the Andhra Odisha Border (AOB), and is called the tri-junction.

Bauxite mining issue

Sources said posters decrying the TDP leaders and letters warning them of dire consequences had surfaced since Mr. Sarveswara Rao had come out in favour of bauxite mining in the agency areas. The Adivasis of the area have opposed the mining. Mr Sarveswara Rao was also embroiled in a controversy over issuance of mining licences to his close relatives.

Police stations attacked

After the attack, about irate villagers allegedly attacked the Dumbriguda and Araku police stations. The villagers accused the police of failing to protect their leaders and set fire to the Dumbriguda station. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is in the U.S. expressed his condolences. YSR Congress president Jagan Mohan Reddy, who is on padayatra at Vizianagaram condemned the attack and offered his condolences.