Araku MLA Among Two TDP Leaders Gunned Down by Maoists in Andhra Pradesh

first major strike in many years in Andhra Pradesh, the outlawed CPI (Maoists) on Sunday shot dead a sitting MLA and a former MLA, both from the ruling TDP, in Araku area in Visakhapatnam district.

The incident occurred at Lippitiputta village under Dambriguda mandal when Araku (ST) MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former MLA Siveri Soma went to take part in a 'grama darsini' (village visit) programme, the police said.

Sarveswara Rao won as the YSR Congress candidate in 2014, but he later defected to the TDP. "A group of Maoists came along with



the villagers and blocked the MLA's car. As the personal security officers of the legislator and the ex-legislator got down, they snatched the AK-47 rifles from them and shot Sarveswara Rao and Soma dead," said Visakhapatnam Range Deputy Inspector General of Police Ch Srikanth.

He said the exact number of Maoists involved in the attack and the reasons for shooting down the legislator were being ascertained. Police sources, however, suspect that a group of about 50-60 outlaws led by Maoists Andhra-Odisha Border Committee secretary Ramakrishna could be involved in the deadly attack.