HYDERABAD, 20 August 2006 — Three police personnel were killed in a Maoist attack on a police station in Andhra Pradesh on Friday night. Another policeman was critically injured.
Following the Maoist attack on Atmakur police station in Nalgonda district adjoining Hyderabad, the police sounded a red alert in the state capital as well as Maoist-affected districts in the state.
The attack on the police station in the state Home Minister K. Jana Reddy’s home district comes nearly four weeks after the killing of Maoist AP state committee secretary Madhav and seven other Maoists by the police in an exchange of fire in Nallamala forests on July 23. The timing of the attack also coincides with the renewal of the ban on CPI-Maoist and six of its frontal organizations by the state government for another year effective from Aug. 17.
According to sources, a group of 10 to 12 Maoists came on foot and stormed Atmakur police station, taking the police personnel there by surprise. The Maoists snapped the power supply to the police station before the attack took place around 9.30 p.m.
The Maoists first barged into the residential quarters of Sub Inspector Chand Pasha located behind the police station. They overpowered the sub inspector, snatched his revolver and dragged him out. They later entered the police station and beat up Assistant Sub Inspector Moinuddin, constable Karim and home guard Lingaiah.
Subsequently, the Maoists dragged the four police personnel into the police station compound, tied their hands and then tied them to trees or poles and fired at them at point blank range. Sub Inspector Chand Pasha (aged 54 years), Assistant Sub Inspector Moinuddin (40) and home guard Lingaiah (22) died on the spot while constable Karim (42) suffered critical injuries.
A Maoist fired an extra round on the constable when he tried to escape from the spot. Karim cried for help but in vain. The Maoists later blasted the police station. A portion of the building was partially damaged. Before fleeing from the spot, the Maoists raised slogans claiming that the attack was in retaliation for the killing of their comrades, including state committee secretary, last month. They left behind a letter asking the ruling Congress party leaders to quit their posts. Maoists also took away the revolver snatched from the sub inspector.
For sometime, nobody from the small township went near the police station. Later, a few civilians ventured into the police station premises, called a private vehicle and shifted the critically injured constable to a hospital in Hyderabad. The police reinforcements reached the place only after midnight. The district police sounded a red alert and deployed special parties for combing operations to track down the Maoists.
Police blocked all the roads for 40 km in and around Atmakur and launched frisking operations.
Since the police station is located on the border of Warangal district, the police suspect that Maoists from the neighboring district were involved in the attack. The Maoists had opened fire with AK-47 rifles, the police surmised on the basis of bullet injuries.
The police station was “unguarded” since the police had removed firearms from there.
