Hyderabad, March 12: Maoists suffered a major blow in Andhra Pradesh today when two of its top leaders, one of them allegedly involved in an attempt on the life of former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, were killed in separate encounters.
However, civil rights activists questioned the encounter killing theory of the police and moved the State Human Rights Commission seeking a probe into it.
Shakamuri Apparao, a state committee member of CPI (Maoist), allegedly involved in over 40 sensational cases like attempts on the lives of former Chief Ministers– Chandrababu Naidu and N Janardhan Reddy and killings of several police officers, was killed in an exchange of fire with police in Nallamalla forest region Prakasam district at about 6 am today. Five other outlaws managed to escape, police said.
“It is a huge blow to Maoists. Apparao in particular carried out militia activities,” a senior police officer told
–Agencies