On the night of December 13, at around 11.30 p.m., when 20 fully-armed PLGA (People’s Liberation Guerilla Army) members of Pedabayalu and Korukonda area committee of the CPI (Maoist) trooped into Vakapalli village in G. Madugula mandal in Visakha Agency and dragged Gemmili Krishna Rao (32) by his hair out of his house, the calm of the sleepy little village was broken by the piercing shrieks of his wife Sirso (25).
Carrying a toddler in her arms and with two other little children in tow, the woman pleaded with the ultras to at least ensure that her husband, who was being accused by the Maoists of being a police informer, was tried by a ‘Praja Court’ first.
However, her pleas fell on deaf ears as the Maoists dragged her husband to the village outskirts and hacked him to death in front of his wife and other villagers.
The manner of Krishna Rao’s execution was different from the Maoists’ usual practice of shooting their victims at point-blank range. Police officials say this could be because the sound of a gunshot would have alerted police parties patrolling nearby, especially with the Nurmati Armed Police Outpost less than 3 km away.
Background
Tribals being killed by Maoists after being branded police informers has been a common tactic employed by the Left-Wing Extremists in Visakha Agency. Though this is the first such killing this year, they had killed five tribals last year, and in the last 15 years, over 60 tribals were killed.
The Vakapalli killing, however, appears to have a very strong motive.
This village was once the stronghold of the Maoists and had produced many hardcore cadres, including Pangi Daya, who was killed in an exchange of fire at Digujanaba under Annavaram police station limits, last July.
But after the establishment of the AOP at Nurmati and laying a connecting road that touches the village, things began to change.
The district police organised a mega community lunch and a two-day volleyball festival last year. It was during this festival that the villagers had approached the police asking for clean potable drinking water.
Police, with the help of CSR funds from some industries, set up a few water purifiers with a capacity of 1,000 litres.
“For the first time in decades, no one fell sick this year during the monsoon and winter, as we now have clean drinking water,” said a tribal from the village.
Changing trend
Moreover, ever since road connectivity was established a couple of years ago, youth from the village have taken up education and one youth has been enrolled at a private engineering college. Many have also got jobs in the plains, locals said.
With the development, the tribals have slowly started to join the mainstream and the tide is turning towards the administration, including towards the police.
“This has not gone down well with the Maoists, and the killing appears to be a ploy to create a fear psychosis among the villagers. This has been a common counter-offensive measure of the Maoists, wherever and whenever they feel threatened,” said Superintendent of Police B. Krishna Rao.
For the Maoists, Vakapalli is of strategic importance as this is where 11 Adivasi women were allegedly gang-raped by a team of AP Special Police on August 20, 2007.
And in the letter, written by Maoists, which was found at the crime scene, they claimed that the deceased was trying to dilute the gang-rape case by threatening victims and witnesses.
It may be remembered that two tribals were killed when they stepped on a landmine allegedly planted by Maoists near Chintalaveedhi village in Jamiguda panchayat of Pedabayalu mandal, in August this year.
According to the SP, due to such violence, resentment against the Maoist has been growing across Visakha Agency, except for a few pockets in the cut-off region in the mandals of Pedabayalu, Munchingput and Chintapalli.