Daijiworld Media Network - Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Nov 11: At around 4.30 am on Monday November 10, personnel of the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) raided a house in Devarbal village within Hallihole gram panchayat in the taluk. The raid was conducted, based on reliable information that 12 naxals had taken shelter in that house. However, the naxals, perhaps getting wind of the things to come, retreated to forests a few hours before the ANF contingent arrived.

The incident has created apprehensions among the minds of the people, as naxals are known to mercilessly deal with the suspected informers, as proved by the murder of a few suspected police informers by them in the past. The villagers too suffer the agony of having to bow to the demands of the naxals and then earn the ire of the ANF.

The naxals had come to the village, visited the houses located at the edge of the forest and collected coconuts, rice etc. from them. They also informed them that they would come back again shortly. The policemen conducted an operation to nab them but were disappointed to see that they had missed the chance of an encounter by a few hours.  The policemen believe that the naxals, who fled from the scene, have reached Tombattu village through Yedamoge, located in the forests.

Deverbal village shot to limelight four years ago, after two naxal men were slain in an encounter. The villagers said that the naxals have been frequenting the village since a week. After the incidents of exchange of fire between the policemen and the naxals two years ago at Bommanahalla near here, followed by the vandalism resorted to by the naxals at the house of a landlord in Kotuguli village near here where they also posed life threat to the landlord, nothing significant had occurred here. The villagers said, that a gang of eight naxals led by Mahesh that also had three women including Irikegadde Laxmi, has been in contact with the village since a week.

Once the ANF personnel were seen in the surroundings, rumours spread that naxals had been held, and a few were done to death etc. The police thought that the naxals will stay till morning and that their raid would catch them unawares.  The fact that the naxals decamped from the village at around midnight raises the suspicion that they somehow had the inkling of the ANF plans. 

The ANF and the police department have arranged for patrolling of various villages in the wake of the above incident. District superintendent of police (SP) Madhukar Pawar and additional and ANF SP M B Nagaraj have been overseeing the operations.