Naxalites blow up DD tower in Vizag

Terror Strikes

Rebels said they were avenging the killing of two of their leaders by police in June.

Naxalites blew up a Doordarshan tower in a remote village in Visakhapatnam district yesterday, a senior police officer said.

Around 150 Naxalites, including over 40 armed men, attacked the tower in Chintapalli, a remote village about 850 km from here, and blew it up using detonators late last night. A government house near the tower was also blasted, the officer said.

The Centre said it was finding out the details of the attack. Minister of State for Home Affairs Sriprakash Jaiswal said his ministry had not received any request from the Andhra Pradesh government for additional paramilitary forces in the wake of the incident. The Centre was trying to get more facts about the strike, he said.

"The Naxalites left a letter with the locals demanding the release of their arrested comrades and withdrawal of cases against the tribals," Akun Sabharwal, a police officer, told Reuters.

The letter said the rebels were avenging the killing of two of their leaders by police in June, said Sabharwal.

Police said they were combing the area to track down the militants and had suspended buses and private vehicles from entering some areas of the district.

Andhra Pradesh is one of the 13 states where Naxalites have a presence. The rebels, who began an armed movement four decades ago, claim they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless labourers.

On Tuesday, the bodies of 24 policemen who had gone missing after a fierce gunbattle with the Naxalites in Chhattisgarh were found riddled with bullets.