Maoist leader held by Gujarat cops

HYDERABAD: A senior Maoist leader, who was allegedly involved in triggering a landmine blast in an attempt to kill united Andhra Pradesh state chief minister N Chandrababau Naidu at Alipiri in Tirupati, was arrested by the Anti Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Gujarat.

He was picked up from Hyderabad with the assistance of Telangana police and taken to Gujarat after registering criminal cases against him. The arrested Maoist leader is Sriramula Srinivas alias Sudarshan, a native of Nalgonda district.

According to sources, Sudarshan radicalised a section of youth and people living in Surat in Gujarat by building party cadre. He worked actively at the border of Maharashtra and Gujarat in 2010, instigating people to fight against the government.