Maoists shoots ZP vice-chairman to death in AP

Visakhapatnam, May 29: The banned CPI (Maoists) shot dead Zilla Parishad Vice-Chairman in the presence of hundreds of devotees during the ''Modakondamma Jatara,'' a local festival at Hukumpeta late last night, police said today.

According to police sources here, more than a dozen armed naxals emerged from the forest and shot from point blank range at S Ravi Shankar (28), a tribal leader, who came to inaugurate the jatara. The insurgents escaped in the darkness after committing the crime.

Shankar succumbed to injuries on way to Paderu hospital.

The extremists, suspected to be members of an action team of the Pedabayalu Dalam of the banned outfit were moving in the area to attack leaders of the ruling party. They killed the tribal leader to protest against the state government's decision to allow bauxite mining in the agency area, the sources added.

The slain leader was closely associated with Andhra Pradesh Commericial Tax Minister K Ramakrishna.

State Tribal Welfare Minister D S Redya Nayak, Civil Supplies Minister K V Krishna Reddy and Commercial Tax Minister K Ramarkrishna, rushed to the tribal village and strongly condemned the slaying of Shankar.

UNI