Naxalites of CPI (Maoist) kidnapped three TDP members in G.K. Veedhi mandal in Visakhapatnam district on Monday evening, stepping up their campaign against the State Government’s plans to mine bauxite in the Agency areas, which is being strongly opposed by local tribes and environmentalists.
TDP mandal party president Mamidi Balayya Padal, senior leader Vandalam Balayya and district committee member Mukkala Mahesh were taken from their homes in Kothaguda village by a group of Maoists reportedly led by Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee spokesman Chalapathi.
In a letter sent to local reporters on Tuesday morning, the Maoists warned that the Government would pay a heavy price if it did not abandon its plans to resume bauxite mining in the tribal hills.
The letter was attached to an appeal by the abducted men to the government to do as told for their lives were in peril.
The Maoists also demanded that TDP leaders should immediately quit their posts and primary membership of the party and join the people’s movement against bauxite mining.
They also wanted an end to combing operations by the police, arrests of tribal people and establishment of police camps, which, the letter said, are all ploys to facilitate bauxite mining.
The letter urged people to make the CPI (Maoist) bandh announced by CPI )Maoist) between October 7 and 13 a success.
Families in fear
The families of the three kidnapped men and residents of their village are in a grip of fear. Superintendent of police Koya Praveen is camping in Chintapalli to monitor the situation.
The Agency areas of Vizag have witnessed a revival of Maoist activity in recent months in spite of intensive combing by the police and CPRF.
Police said trouble is being created by cadres from across the interstate border.
After several quiet years in the Araku hills, the situation is again turning confrontationist.
Maoists exchanged fire with the police in G.K. Veedhi in early September. They kidnapped and released two brothers in Munchingput mandal late September. They killed three BSF personnel and a civilian in a land mine blast near Balimela in Odisha.
There were three exchanges of fire in May and June with one death of a Maoist.
In July the party came out with a list of 30 villagers of Jerrerla and warned them not to facilitate the government’s bauxite mining operations.
