CPI(Maoist) retreat from Nallamala forests

Ongole, Andhra Pradesh, July 16: The CPI (Maoist), took a major decision to retreat from Nallamala forests in Andhra Pradesh as a tactical measure to wade away from the hot pursuit of the counter insurgency police group which killed many of its leaders and cadres.

Sources monitoring the insurgent operations indicate that the party central leadership's decision to retreat was to re-group and resurface with more fire power.

Nallamala region, encompasses a huge dense forest area spread across Nalgonda, Guntur, Prakasham, Kurnool and Mahaboobnagar districts.

The area had two major multi-purpose irrigation projects-Srisalam and Nagarjuna Sagar.

Maoists had set on their peace brigade with the former state secretary Rama Krishna setting out from the Nallamala forests for the historic talks with the Congress government in October 2004, a dream which was shattered with heightened counter operation after the talks broke off and arms doing the talks.

The Maoists had termed the arms dropping clause for talks a direct command from the World Bank as the state government was seeking assistance to shore up its irrigation and other development projects. With the Andhra Pradesh police successfully infiltrating into the CPI (Maoist) organisation, the Grey Hounds scored spectacular hits on the Maoist 'field commanders', busted 'safe houses' and paved massive surrender through intensive 'counselling' of the parents, kith and kin of the Maoists.

The Maoists, earlier as the Commmunist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (Peoples War), had retreated from the North Telangana region into the Nallamala forests after a massive operation unleashed during the Telugu Desam regime during the 1980s, which saw many encounters and intensive targeting of the villagers.

The Northern Telangana region zone overlapping the Dandakaranya forest had been a major base of the People's War naxalites till they vacated for a better cover in the Nallamala forest.

With the South-West Monsoon weakening after an initial promise, over the Nallamala forest area, the Maoists found the canopy of forest cover not adequate to protect themselves in the wake of the recent counter operations by the state police.

With depleted foliage and forest cover, in the wake of the failed monsoon, deprived them an unhindered access across the forest in Chattisgarh in the Godavari basin.

The exercise which was on for the last two months saw the key leaders including Rama Krishna, alias Akkiraju Haragopal shifted out of Andhra Pradesh, before directing for the retreat.

However, the field dalams and the second rung of the Nallamala division sources were opposed for a total disbandment of the key division and were working on a redeployment across the fringes of the forest areas, sources added.

UNI