Revolutionary writer Varavara Rao terms Malkangiri killings as fake encounter

A day after 24 Maoists, including some top cadres, were killed in ‘exchange of fire’ with police on the Andhra-Odisha border, revolutionary writer Varavara Rao on Tuesday termed the incident as a “fake encounter”.

“The gun fight was a fake encounter. Police surrounded the Maoists at their meeting and shot them in cold blood and claimed it as an exchange of fire between them and rebels,” he said.

He said the police are also claiming “fresh exchange of fire” today. “Fact is they caught some Maoists alive yesterday and today they are killing them.”

Rao alleged that TDP government in Andhra Pradesh and BJP-led dispensation at Centre are trying to “loot” minerals in Agency areas along Andhra-Odisha border.

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“They have now started killing rebels who have been safeguarding the minerals with locals and are protecting the rights of innocents,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, A Sirisha, wife of top Maoist leader A Haragopal alias Ramakrishna, left for Malkangiri in Odisha to collect bodies of her son A Munna, who is believed to have been killed in the exchange of fire, and others.

A day after the incident, combing operations by security forces are still going on with AP DGP (Incharge) N Sambasiva Rao supervising the operations from helicopter.