There doubts in the Maoists circles and also sympathizers if the top gun of the Moaists RK was alive? The CPI (Maoist) claimed that Maoist leader G Ramakrishna alias RK was missing since the October 24 encounter in Malkangiri, and that he could be in police custody.
The outfit also vowed revenge for the encounter, in which 30 Maoists were killed, and blamed the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha for it.
On the other hand a functionary of the Maoists in Malkangiri by name Venu claimed that RK is no more and that he has been eliminated by the police in an one sided firing. There are rumors that he gave this news to the local media saying that “RK Amarulayyaru”.
Earlier in an audio tape released to the media, CPI (Maoist) East Division Committee secretary Kailash said, “Top Maoist cadre Ramakrishna is missing and he could be in police custody.”
In the tape, Kailash said that Maoists had not become weak and would continue to fight. He warned that the SPs of Malkangiri and Visakhapatnam Rural would face dire consequences for the encounter in Malkangiri’s cut-off area.
Alleging that some Maoist leaders, including RK, could be in police custody, Kailash demanded that the arrested Maoists be produced in court. He also alleged that the state government was undertaking “Operation Green Hunt” in the area with an aim to resume mining operations to safeguard the interests of industrialists.
RK was last sighted at Jantri in the cut-off area of Malkangiri district on October 1. He had addressed a public meeting and asked people to boycott the panchayat elections in Odisha..
The allegation that RK was missing came even as security forces from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha scoured the forests of the cut-off area in search of the Maoist leader, and others including Chalapathi, his wife Aruna, and Uday alias Gajarla Ravi. The four leaders were reportedly near the site of the encounter. Police have sealed all routes and are keeping vigil in forests of the area.