Araku: Irate relatives of former MLA Silveri Somu, who was gunned down by Maoists today, attacked the Dumbriguda Police Station alleging that the incident took place due to negligent attitude of police. They ransacked the furniture.
The agitators also attacked two police constables, who tried to resist the attack. The two cops were grievously injured. Somu’s brother alleged that the incident occurred due to negligence of police.
Car driver gives eyewitness account of incident
The killing of MLA Kidari Surveshwara Rao and former MLA Silveri Soma has creating ripples in Andhra Pradesh politics. Former MLA Silveri Soma’s car driver Chittibabu, who witnessed the Maoist attack revealed the details of the incident.
According to him, the MLA and former MLA were proceeding towards Lippittiputtu village to participate in Gramadarshini program with two drivers and six others.
Suddenly, the Maoists surrounded them. When the drivers tried to speed up the vehicles, the Maoists warned they would explode bombs if they failed to stop the vehicles.
Chittbabu said, “even though, we tried to move the vehicles forward, some 20 Maoists stood before the vehicles and warned that the encounter would be severe if they failed to stop the vehicles. Then we stopped the vehicle as there was no other alternative. The ultras asked Soma about his identity tied his hands. Later, the Maoists snatched the weapons of the gunmen and aimed at them. The Maoists tied the hands of Surveshwara Rao also. After a 40-minute discussion, the Maoists fired four rounds at the MLA and former MLA. Later, we informed the higher officials about the incident”.
Gunman Swamy eye witness
Former MLA Soma, who was died on the spot in Maoists firing, gunman Swamy said that the Maoists killed the MLA Sarveshwara Rao and Soma scolding them that as they were looting thousands of crores of rupees and were not stopping it though several people were asking. He said that the Maoists had 20-minutes meeting with Kidari and Soma before killing them.
“The Maoists stopped our cards. They pulled the weapons after rounding us. Later, they took us to some distance and had a 20-minute meeting. The Maoists said that MLA and former MLA became sycophants of the government and asked whether they were planning for Bauxite mining here. They said that MLA and former MLA were running three quarys with the support of the government and looting thousands of crores”, they said and suddenly launched firing on both MLA and former MLA simultaneously. (NSS)
