Two people from Veeravaram village in Chintapalli Mandal of the Visakhapatnam Tribal agency region were beaten to death by members of the banned outfit Communist Party of India (Maoist) for allegedly being police informers. The incident took place in the wee hours of Thursday.
The victims were identified as Gemmili Bhaskar Rao and Paangi Sathibabu. The attackers left behind a letter claiming responsibility and stated that the victims were lynched as ‘an act of revenge’ for the death of two of their associates, Sharat and Ganapathi.
According to the police, at least 30 Maoists armed with lathis came to Veeravaram at around 2 am, dragged both the victims from their homes and beat them to death with lathis. The relatives of the victims told media that the Maoists tied them with ropes and thrashed them as well.
“They (Maoists) knocked on our door and beat me up. They then took me to a location some distance away and I was tied there. I couldn’t see what happened to him (Sathibabu),” Sathibabu’s wife told the media.
The Maoists left a note near the dead bodies, claiming responsibility for the killing. The note read, “We killed them for the death of Comrade Sharat and Ganapathi.” Warning other informers in the village, the letter also stated, “Police informer, realize your mistakes and lead a normal life.” The Maoists also claimed that it is the police who should be held responsible for these killings.
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Maoist leader Sharat was killed in 2014 allegedly by the villagers for killing a tribal priest. This fresh incident could thus be an act of revenge, police say. Speaking to TNM, Visakhapatnam Rural SP, Babujee Attada said, “The information we got so far is that the Maoists were armed with lathis and they beat the two to death. The bodies of the victims have been sent for autopsy.”