HYDERABAD, 26 January 2004 — Two Maoist rebels allegedly involved in a failed bid to assassinate the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh have been killed trying to escape custody, police said yesterday.
The two militants, senior leaders of the outlawed People’s War Group (PWG), were arrested on Saturday in neighboring Karnataka, a police spokesman said.
They were being escorted to Tirupati, about 500 km south of the Andhra Pradesh capital Hyderabad, for questioning when they tried to escape, said police superintendent Ramchandra Raju.
“They had stopped on the side of the road for a break when the two men tried to snatch the weapons of their police escorts and escape. They were immediately shot dead,” Raju said.
The incident occurred near Pellaru in Chittor district late Saturday night, he said.
The two were allegedly involved in an assassination attempt on chief minister Chandrababu Naidu last October in which rebels detonated a landmine as Naidu’s cavalcade passed by on its way to the temple town of Tirupathi. Naidu’s car was badly damaged but he escaped with his life.
Police also announced yesterday the killing of another top PWG leader in Cuddapah, some 400 km south of Hyderabad.
“There was shootout after which our men surrounded the militants and in the shooting killed the PWGs district committee secretary for the neighboring district of Anatapur,” Abhilesh Bhist, superintendent of police for Cuddapah, said.
He said the slain militant was probably involved in the planning of the landmine attack on Naidu.
Some 10,000 people have died in Andhra Pradesh in the past 30 years as guerrillas who claim to represent the poor wage an insurgency against wealthy landowners and the government.
Naidu has emerged as a national political figure by championing the hi-tech industry centered around Hyderabad.
The Maoists have been demanding a cease-fire as a pre-condition to peace talks with government. The last round of talks broke down in July 2001 after the government refused to accept the Maoist’s demands and three of their leaders were killed in an exchange of fire with the police.
