Seven Maoists, Including Top Commander, Killed In Telangana Police Encounter

Seven Maoists, including a senior commander, were killed in an encounter with police in Telangana's Mulugu district this morning, just a week after two tribal men were murdered on suspicion of being police informants.

The clash occurred in the Chalpaka forests around 5:30 am during combing operations by the elite Greyhounds anti-Maoist force.

Photo Credit: PTI

According to police, the Greyhounds spotted the Maoist group and called on them to surrender. However, the Maoists opened fire, prompting the commandos to retaliate.

Among the deceased was 35-year-old Bhadru, also known as Kursam Mangu or Papanna, the Yellandu-Narsampet area committee commander of the CPI (Maoist) and a member of its Telangana State Committee.

The other six Maoists killed were identified as Egolapu Mallaiah (43), Mussaki Deval (22), Mussaki Jamuna (23), Jai Singh (25), Kishore (22), and Kamesh (23), all of whom were operating under Bhadru's leadership.

The group was equipped with AK-47, G3, and INSAS rifles, as well as other weapons and explosives, all of which have been confiscated by the authorities.

This marks the first significant Maoist encounter in recent years in Mulugu, amid efforts to reorganise and revitalise their operations in the area. The incident follows the murder of two tribal men in Mulugu on 21 November, allegedly by Maoists who suspected them of working as police informants.

The victims, later identified as Uika Ramesh, the secretary of Peruru Gram Panchayat, and Uika Arjun, were found with a note claiming they were gathering intelligence and passing it on to a state agency.

(With IANS inputs)