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Senior Maoist cadre Narmada, husband arrested in Hyderabad

Narmada had been heading the Maoist operations in Gadchiroli division of CPI (Maoist) for more than a decade and had been named in scores of Naxal offences, including the ambush of 15 policemen on May 1.

Among the highly educated Naxal leaders, Narmada has been underground for the last 22 years. (Representative image)

Senior Maoist cadre Narmada and husband Kiran have been arrested by police from Hyderabad, reports said.

The operation was carried out in tandem with Telangana’s Special Intelligence Bureau. Unconfirmed reports said the couple has been brought to Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.

Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Shailesh Balkawde didn’t respond to calls but a senior police official confirmed that the two had been arrested about two days ago.

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“A cancer patient, Narmada was in Hyderabad for her second chemotherapy session, when the police arrested her along with husband,” the official said.

Narmada alias Aluri Krishna Kumari alias Sujathakka, aged about 60, is a native of Gudivada in Andhra Pradesh’s Krishna district. She had been heading operations in the Gadchiroli division of CPI (Maoist) for more than a decade.

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Considered a highly educated Maoist leader, she has been underground for the last 22 years.

She was relieved of her Gadchiroli responsibilities about eight months ago due to failing health. Currently, the task is headed by senior cadres Prabhakar, also known as Padgal Sami.

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Her husband Kiran Kumar alias Kiran Dada is a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the CPI (Maoist). Kiran, 57, is a native of Vijayawada. He was also the state committee member and looks after Prabhat magazine, a political organ of Maoist’s DKSZC, apart from looking after propaganda unit, press and education.

Narmada has been named in scores of offences, including the ambush of 15 policemen on May 1. She is also an absconding accused in the case involving Delhi University professor G N Saibaba, who was convicted for having Maoist links by a Gadchiroli court in 2017 and is currently in Nagpur’s Central Jail. She was named in the chargesheet as the Moaist leader to whom some material sourced from Saibaba was to be handed over by another cadre, Hem Mishra, who was arrested at Aheri in Gadchiroli in 2013 along with the material.

Her arrest is being seen as the second biggest blow to the Maoists after last year’s police ambush of 40 cadres in Etapalli tahsil.

“She was the main conduit between urban cadres and underground Naxal leadership. The urban cadres had to pass any communication to the top leaders through her. She was also the one through whom the leaders would pass on funds for the urban cadres,” another official said.

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“Narmada was also allegedly closely associated with many urban cadres arrested in the Koregaon-Bheema case,” he added.

First uploaded on: 12-06-2019 at 02:00 IST
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