Maoist leader Anna Reddy arrested

Bhubaneswar, (PTI): A day after the arrest of four naxalites from a hospital here, the Orissa police on Thursday claimed that one of them was a hardcore Maoist leader, Anna Reddy, who was involved in anti-industry violence.

According to Jajpur District Superintendent of Police (SP), D S Kutte, the four were identified as Anna Reddy, Rani Jamuda, Manjeresh Hansda and Ramachandra Das alias Babuli.

Kutte said he along with a team of police personnel rushed to the private hospital in the state capital after receiving information that Anna Reddy was among the three persons visting a woman patient.

"We confirmed the trio as naxalites after verifying their movement and telephone calls," the SP said. Reddy was wanted in at least 14 criminal cases including murder, extortion and abduction for ransom. Reddy was also wanted for the killing of a forest guard in Dhenkanal district.

The three as well as the patient, Rani Jamuda, were arrested in a carefully executed operation, the police said.

Besides instigating the tribal people in Kalinga Nagar area in Jajpur district against industrilization, Reddy heading CPI(ML-Janashakti) in Orissa was also active in neighbouring Dhenkanal and Keonjhar district, the SP said.

"He was also supporting anti-Vedanta stir near Puri. The local people near Puri were opposed to the establishment of a world-class university by Vedanta," Kutte said. He was leading a faction of maoists who opposed to industrialisation in the state.

The man identified by the police as Anna Reddy, however, claimed that his name was Gumai Naresh Lu, a resident of Andhra Pradesh. He alleged that the police was 'falsely framing' charges against him.

Kutte said the police had evidence to prove that the man arrested was Anna Reddy.

The SP said Anna Reddy had gone to the hospital in the city to look after his 'close relation', Rani Jamuda, a woman associated with the anti-industry movement at Kalinga Nagar.