HYDERABAD, 20 January 2005 — Police in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh yesterday defended their tough action against Maoists saying the extremists planned to attack lawmakers and top police officers.

The state’s director-general of police, Swaranjit Sen, denied at a news conference allegations of the Maoists and human rights organizations that the police had killed 11 extremists in fake encounters in recent days.

He also rejected demands for action against police chiefs of four districts where the encounters took place.

Sen accused the militants of procuring arms and strengthening their cadres, taking advantage of a cease-fire during peace talks. He claimed the Maoists bought 20 quintals of gelatin for 170,000 rupees for to prepare land mines for use against their targets. “Why should they procure gelatin in such quantity when peace talks are ongoing,” he asked.

Sen said documents found on the slain Maoists indicated they had conducted reconnaissance of police stations, AP Special Police XIth battalion headquarters, residential areas of important persons and other places. They have been tracking the movement of some political leaders.

Sen said the Maoists had indulged in extortions and collected huge amounts toward “party funds” in several districts. In Nallamalla area, they collected 2.76 million rupees while in Warangal and Khammam districts, they raised over 23 million rupees.

He said the Maoists had planned to resort to violent actions on a large scale from Jan. 20 to Feb. 5.

Dozens of government officials and politicians have fled Maoist strongholds, fearing renewed rebel attacks after the collapse of peace talks and the seven-month cease-fire.

Rebels from the People’s War Group (PWG), which has been locked in a low-intensity insurgency for more than three decades over the rights of peasants and landless laborers, called off talks with the Andhra Pradesh government this week. The collapse of talks came after the killing of the rebels over the weekend.

Yesterday the rebels set fresh conditions for talks including an end to all police action against them and the suspension of four district police chiefs for what they said were fake gunbattles with the Maoists.

“The most important condition is that first of all you stop the combing operation. The second is that whatever fake encounters have been taken up, book those police officers,” said rights activist Gaddar, who represented the Maoists in the peace talks.

The latest spurt in violence has spread panic among politicians and officials in the Maoist strongholds of Warangal, Mahboobnagar and Prakasham, officials said.

“I am caught between the devil and the deep sea,” said official G. Pashyappa in Warangal. “If I support the rebels the police pick me up. If I support the police the rebels threaten my family.”

Pashyappa and 40 other politicians from the rebel-affected region have moved to well-guarded government buildings in Hyderabad, the capital city of Andhra Pradesh.

Officials say the PWG numbers around 2,000 cadres and operates in the dense forests of Andhra Pradesh’s Telengana region, some 170 km north of Hyderabad, a growing hub for the software and outsourcing industries.

They said the rebels had earlier asked all elected representatives from their strongholds to resign from their posts, accusing the government of failing to live up to promises made during the first round of peace talks last October.

During those talks rebels had asked for a written truce, the release of prisoners and redistribution of land to the poor.

Authorities have stepped up security at airports, railway stations, key government installations and commercial complexes. Politicians have also been offered police protection.

More than 6,000 people, including about 1,000 policemen, have been killed since the revolt began in the late 1960s in the largely farming state, where hundreds of farmers have committed suicide under the burden of debt in the past two years.