Court acquits six naxalites

Koraput, Apr 26 (UNI) Six naxalites, four of them women allegedly involved in an encounter with police in 2002, were acquitted by the Koraput Assistant Sessons Judge yesterday.

According to the prosecution, seven naxalites camping at Rangniguda hill had demanded money from the local tribals. The local police on being informed about the incident rushed to the site to flush out them.

This led to an encounter between the police and the naxalites in which one naxalite was killed on the spot. The police however, managed to arrest the rest six naxalites and seized explosive materials from their possession.

Police then claimed that they had a plan to attack Potangi police station. The Naxalites were sent to jail in 2002 after rejection of their bail applications and since then they were lodged in Koraput jail.

Altogether 16 witnesses were examined by the court in the trial of the case. Remarkably, the main police investigating officer did not turn up in the court to appear as witness in the case.

All the six naxalites acquitted in the case had been identified as Mati Khilo, Ghasiram Khilo, M rajani, M. Sekhar, B. Pratiam and N Bimla, police said.

UNI XC DP PC AKP1013