Gaddar appears in Pavagada court in 2005 Naxal attack case

TUMAKUR: Revolutionary poet and Naxal activist from Telangana, Gaddar, who is a suspect in the deadly late night attack by Naxals on the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) at a school in Venkatammahalli in Pavagada in February, 2005, that left six policemen and a civilian dead, appeared before the JMFC court in the taluk  on Wednesday.

Besides Gaddar, a fellow Naxal, Varavara Rao is also suspected to have been involved in the attack.  Varvara Rao appeared before the JMFC court about two months ago and Gaddar appeared before it on the orders of the High Court of Telangana on Wednesday. The two are among 90 accused in the case.

The six policemen were killed at Venkatammanahalli allegedly in retaliation for the killing of Karnataka’s top Naxal leader, Saketh Rajan and his associate by the police in an encounter in Chikkamagaluru. Around 30 KSRP policemen were at their camp in the school on returning from a combing operation when the Naxals attacked. While the outlaws used AK-47 rifles to fire at them, the  KSRP men fired back with their single-barrel guns.

Going by sources, Gaddar produced a copy of the bail granted to him by the High Court of Telangana on appearing before the  JMFC court in Pavagada and the case was posted for hearing to another date.

Gaddar himself refused to speak to reporters, but promised to talk to them at the next hearing.