New naxal leaders may take charge in AOB

Visakhapatnam: With the recent combing operations and encounters by the security forces breaking into the Maoist strongholds, members of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) as well as the CPI (Maoists) are reportedly initiating efforts to strengthen their rank and file. According to sources, the CPI (Maoists) central committee wants to give a new lease of life to the movement in the AOB areas by deploying leaders from their Telangana committee as well as armed platoons from Chhattisgarh.
In major setbacks in the recent past, the naxals lost one of their key leaders and PLGA chief Kudumula Venkata Rao to illness, while three Maoists including Galikonda area committee secretary Azad died in a recent encounter with security forces. Following these developments, the naxals in the AOB areas reportedly sent an SOS to their central leadership seeking urgent reinforcements, the sources said, adding that their central committee member Katakam Sudarsan alias Anand may visit the AOB soon to meet the leaders.
The East Division has only two area committees - Galikonda and Korukonda. Maoist commander Sarath's death in the hands of the local people one and a half year ago in Korukonda, and the recent construction of the Rallagedda outpost weakened the naxal movement in the area. Later, the Marripakalu encounter on May 4 this year in which Azad and two others were killed added to the blow, sources said.
Now, with the CPI (Maoists) central committee planning to send leaders to strengthen the East Division, new leaders are expected to take charge from secretary of the East Division Pratapareddy Ramachandra Reddy alias Chalapati.
"Those likely to take charge in AOB include Jalandhra Reddy alias Krishna from Chhattisgarh and Bakuru Venkata Ramana alias Ganesh from Odisha. East Godavari and Visakha borders are important to the naxals as they border Chhatisgarh and Malkangiri district of Odisha," a senior officials involved in anti-naxal operations said, adding, "They need link with Odisha to safeguard their teams and also receive guidance from top rank naxals."