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Naxalites kill two cops

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

Two police constables were killed, a stretch of railway track was blasted and a dozen telephone exchanges were destroyed in left-wing extremist-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh in continued violence by the outlawed People's War Group in the last 24 hours.

Confirming the incidents, Special Intelligence Bureau Deputy Inspector General of Police S R Tiwari said two police constables were killed in an exchange of fire between a group of PWG extremists and a special police party during combing operations in Warangal district, about 150 km east of Hyderabad, late on Monday night.

The police party, consisting of a sub-inspector of police and four constables, came across a PWG armed squad (dalam) while returning to Eturunagaram. The Naxalites opened fire and the policemen returned the fire. Two constables died in the encounter which occurred near Mangapeta crossroads.

The Naxalites belonging to the outlawed PWG blasted a stretch of railway track between Vempalli and Sirpur town railway stations in Adilabad district, about 200 km north of Hyderabad, late on Monday night.

The movement of trains was disrupted on the Kazipet-Ballarshah section of the South Central Railway. The Naxalites blasted the down track near Vempalli railway bridge near the railway cabin around 11.15 pm (IST). The cabin man alerted the railway authorities.

There have been sporadic incidents of violence in protest against the recent killing of three top PWG leaders in an encounter with the police in Karimnagar district on December 2.

In the last couple of days, the Naxalites blasted the houses of five ruling Telugu Desam Party functionaries, including three former legislators, in Adilabad, Warangal and Nizamabad districts.

Besides, the extremists damaged a dozen telephone exchanges in the Naxalite-affected villages. They also torched buses of the state-owned AP State Road Transport Corporation at some places.

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