HYDERABAD, 17 January 2005 — Two more suspected Maoists were killed by police in Warangal district yesterday as a bus was set afire by the extremists in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh. The Maoists also gave a call for a general strike today in the extremist-infested districts. Warangal Superintendent of Police Stephen Ravindra said a police party was on its way from Rampur to Komaram on routine patrol when it encountered a group of Maoists. The rebels opened fire when asked to surrender. Police killed two of them while the rest fled. Police retrieved two weapons, a generator, computer-related accessories and wireless communication sets.
In Kurnool district, Maoists burned down a state-owned bus in the evening. Five armed men stopped the bus at Berluti village. After forcing the passengers to disembark, they set the bus alight.
State Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy held a meeting with Home Minister K. Jana Reddy and top state police officers to review the situation arising out of the escalating confrontation between the police and the extremists.
