Six Maoists detained by NIA during 2019 Tiriya encounter in Chhattisgarh

Two suspects in the 2019 Maoist encounter in Tiriya, Chhattisgarh, were apprehended by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Friday, bringing the total number of arrests in the case to six.

The arrests are related to a 2019 incident, also known as the RK Dairy case, in which CPI-M members attacked security personnel close to Tiriya village, sparking fighting that resulted in the deaths of six Maoists and one civilian.

Kandula Sirisha and Duddu Prabhakar, the two arrested accused, were arrested following protracted investigations and search activities. The two were employees of various CPI(M) frontal organisations.

According to NIA investigations, both of the arrested suspects were collaborating closely with CPI(M) top leaders to advance and broaden the anti-national activities of the outlawed group. The NIA earlier found several incriminating items during searches of the two accused’s homes pertaining to their cadre operations.

In the past, Kandula, a member of the frontal outfit, was also active as an armed cadre serving as the CPI(M)’s tech in-charge.

According to the officials, both of them used several frontal organisations to disseminate Maoist ideology while also receiving funding from CPI(M). Both frequently travelled to the Special Zone along the Andhra-Orrisa border, where the Naxal core is located. There, they frequently encountered the late Akkiraju Haragopal, the head of the United Front.

The Tiriya encounter happened in July 2019, when a search operation was initiated in the forest area close to Tiriya in the Jagdalpur district of Chhattisgarh by a joint team of the local District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) based on a tip-off.

They were informed that a gathering of Maoist operatives had taken place to plan an attack for July 28, also known as the Shaheed Diwas.

After the encounter, the security officers cleared the area of all weapons and ammunition as well as incriminating handwritten notes, literature, etc. and began an investigation.

On July 28, 2019, the case was first registered under the UAPA and other provisions of the Arms Act. On March 18, 2021, the NIA re-registered it after taking over the case and numerous other Maoist plot cases in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.