When Greyhounds struck in Andhra Pradesh’s fading red zone

In June, six Maoists including top leaders of the CPI(Maoist) were killed by the Greyhounds in Koyyuru mandal in Visakhapatnam Agency. Sumit Bhattacharjee reports on the setback to the movement which is already at its lowest ebb in the region

On June 16, rain-bearing clouds loomed over Koyyuru mandal in Visakhapatnam Agency, about 170 km from Visakhapatnam city. The monsoon had set in. The entire mandal is thickly forested, with hillocks, deep caverns and perennial streams. Soon, there was a steady drizzle. A team of around 30 Maoists, including some senior leaders, from the banned were camping on a hillock about 800 m high in the middle of this jungle near a village called Theegalametta. At around 9 a.m., while one group of Maoists, sheltered under plastic tarpaulins, was busy cooking a meal, the others were reportedly gearing up for an important meeting.