Three senior Maoist leaders gunned down in encounter with security forces in Andhra Pradesh

Alluri Sitarama Raju (Andhra Pradesh), June 18: The security forces gunned down three senior Maoist leaders, including a top Communist Party of India (Maoist) central committee member, in forests of Maredumilli in Alluri Sitarama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh in the early hours of Wednesday.

While two of the neutralized red rebels have been identified as central committee member Gajarla Ravi alias Uday, and another top Maoist leader Raavi Venkata Chaitanya alias Aruna, the identity of the third Maoist leader killed in the encounter is yet to be known.

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Notably, Aruna was the wife of Pratapreddy Ramachandra Reddy, also known as Chalapati, a central committee member who was killed in an encounter with security forces in Gariaband, Chhattisgarh, near the Odisha border. Ravi is the secretary of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee, and Aruna is also a member of the same committee.

Both Maoist leaders were leading Maoist activities along the Andhra-Odisha border and were on the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) most wanted list. Ravi had a reward of Rs 20 lakh on his head.

According to a senior Andhra police official, the encounter took place in Kondamodalu village located in the Devipatnam forest area under Maredumilli police limits.

Based on credible intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Maoists in the area, the security forces launched an operation on Tuesday evening. The operation, led by the elite Greyhounds unit, resulted in a fierce exchange of fire with the Maoists, causing heavy losses on their side. 

The official also confirmed that police recovered three AK-47 rifles and other weapons from the encounter site.

Several other Maoist leaders are believed to have escaped after the gunfight. 

As intelligence reports indicate that more Maoists may still be in the area, the Greyhounds are continuing their search operations in the Maredumilli forests.

Gajarla Ravi, also known as Uday and Ganesh, is from Velishala village in Chityala block of the old Warangal district. He joined the Maoist movement in 1992 when he was 23 years old.

Over time, he moved up in the organisation and became a member of the central committee. In 2004, he took part in peace talks with the government as a representative of the then People’s War Group.

The NIA had highlighted Ravi's strong control over the dense forests in the region. Police records show that Ravi had led several attacks against security forces, including the killing of four BSF jawans in Malkangiri district, Odisha, in 2012. He was also involved in the Balimela reservoir attack, which resulted in the deaths of 38 Greyhounds.