Maoists Kidnap TRS Leaders Ahead of Warangal By-poll

Khammam: Throwing a challenge to the state government ahead of Warangal Lok Sabha by-elction, the outlawed Maoists kidnapped five of the ruling party leaders from Kothagudem area in Khammam district on Wednesday night.The incident gathers significance as it took place just a couple of days before the Warangal election and on a day when the chief minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao was campaigning in the district. KCR was camping in Warangal for past two days.

Gun wielding Maoists reportedly took Bhadrachalam TRS in-charge Ramakrishna and five others. Ramakrishna contested on TRS ticket in the general election from Bhadrachalam. Others include party's Charla Mandal ex-president Patel Venkateshwara Rao, ex-secretary Santapuri Suresh Kumar, party's Vajedu mandal president Dattakatla Janardhan, Venkatapuram Mandal party president Satyanarayana and ex-sarpanch Ramakrishna. Maoists left a letter asking the government to stop fake encounters and combing operations in forests.

Efforts to get the abducted TRS leaders back are on as the chief minister is in Warangal on Thursday.