‘BSNL tower is intact, but equipment room and generator have been gutted’

As the smoke cleared on Thursday, the police concluded that the members of the CPI (Maoist) had not blasted the BSNL tower at Darakonda village in the Agency area but set the equipment room and generator at the tower site afire.

“The tower is intact, but the generator and the equipment room have been gutted. The loss is estimated to be ₹28 lakh,” said SP Rahul Dev Sharma.

Quoting the villagers, the SP said that about 50 Maoists of the Korukonda and Galikonda dalams, led by Korukonda area commander Naveen and Krishna of Galikonda, descended on Darakonda at 9.30 p.m. on Wednesday and torched the equipment room and the generator in front of them.

It was learnt that 25 of them were in uniform and carrying arms, and the remaining in mufti.

Sources said that most of them were Guthi Koyas from Chhattisgarh.

After the death of Jambri, a leader of the Galikonda dalam, in an exchange of fire with the security forces in February last, Krishna from the Korukonda dalam had been drafted to take it over.

Sources said the Korukonda and Galikonda dalams had merged and a contingent of Koyas was brought in from Chhattisgarh to improve the dalams’ depleting strength.

A bait?

The security forces are of the opinion that the Darakonda incident could just be a symbolic act to show their presence in the region, or a precursor to a major attack coinciding with the first anniversary of the Ramgarh exchange of fire, or a bait.

On October 24, the Maoists will be observing the first anniversary of the Ramgarh incident in which about 30 members, including a number of top leaders, had been killed.

“The Maoists have been planning something big to avenge the killing,” said DSP of Chintapalle Anil Kumar.

Mr. Rahul Dev Sharma said the Maoists had been enticing the security forces in the last few days, and it could be a bait for an ambush.

According to sources, the Maoists have been deliberately exposing themselves by distributing pamphlets and setting up banners in the Sapparla area.

Local scribes warned

Sources said the Maoists left a few letters warning the local journalists, accusing them of supporting the police.

The Maoists also asked BJP leader Lodugula Gandhi and TDP leader K. Manikumari and a few others to disclose their stand on bauxite mining immediately.