Maoists kills TDP MLA K Sarveswara Rao

An Andhra Pradesh lawmaker and a ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) leader were shot dead by Maoists in Visakhapatnam district. The daylight killings today triggered violence in the area and furious locals set police stations on fire in Dumbri Guda and Araku. A lot of files were burnt and furniture was damanged in the vandalism, police said.

Mr Rao, the legislator from Araku and former lawmaker Sivari Soma were attacked when they were returning from a party event in Livitiput, about 15 km from Araku Valley. Eyewitnesses said they were intercepted by a large group of armed Maoists, including women, when they were returning in two vehicles. After engaging in talks with the duo regarding the contentious issue of mining in the area, the Maoists shot them dead from point blank range. The Maoists then used people as human shields and escaped with weapons that the personal security officers of the lawmaker were carrying, police sources said.

“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 9mm pistols from them and also a carbine and took the PSOs and drivers aside before shooting the MLA and former MLA dead,” Vizag district superintendent of police Rahul Sharma said. The bodies were later taken to Kasturba Gandhi Hospital in Vishakhapatnam for post-mortem.