Did Naxals hit YSR's chopper?

New Delhi: A snag in YSR’s helicopter is not the only possibility on the security agencies’ mind as they investigate the reasons behind the chief
minister’s sudden disappearance over Nallamala forests en route to Chittoor. The presence of battle-hardened Naxalites, who have had Mr Reddy on their hit list, in the heavily-forested area is equally worrying for the agencies, especially with reports suggesting that the Maoist rebels have of late acquired anti-aircraft guns.
So the possibility of the Naxalites succeeding in laying hands on the Andhra chief minister may well be a subject matter of probe behind his going missing. The questions to be asked are: Were the Naxals in the know of arrival of Mr Reddy and decided to lay a trap and target his chopper? Did the extremists fire at the chopper, causing it to come down?
Mr Reddy was on the CPI (Maoist) hit list for his tough stance in dealing with the Naxalite elements in his state. In fact, Andhra Pradesh, with its highly successful Grey Hounds model, was often cited by the Centre as an example for the other extremism-hit states to follow in crushing the Naxalites.
Over the years, Left-wing extremist violence has steadily declined in Andhra Pradesh. Naxalism-related incidents recorded in the state until June 30, 2009, were just 34 and deaths 10, as compared to 92 incidents and 46 deaths in the whole of 2008.
03/08/09 Economic Times

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Categories: Indian Aviation- In General Sep 2009, Safety Sep 2009