PNS|Vijayawada
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has apprehended Kandula Sirisha, wife of late Maoist leader Akkiraj Haragopal, and Duddu Prabhakar, who are suspected of having ties with Maoist groups and involvement in the Tiriya encounter that occurred in 2019. The arrest follows revelations of their significant role in a conspiracy linked to the weekly celebrations. Based on evidence found in RK’s diary, NIA took action against Sirisha and Duddu Prabhakar, with the former arrested in Alakurapadu, Prakasam district, and the latter in Vijayawada.
The Tiriya encounter took place near Tiriya village in Chhattisgarh in 2019, resulting in the death of six Naxals and one civilian. Kandula Sirisha, also known as Sirisha alias Padmakka, and Duddu Prabhakar, alias Duddu alias Ajay, were found to be associated with various frontal organisations of CPI (Maoist) or Naxal, as stated by the NIA. With these arrests, the total number of individuals detained in the Tiriya encounter case, also referred to as the RK Diary case, now stands at six.
According to NIA’s investigation, both individuals were closely connected to senior leaders of the CPI (Maoist) and were actively involved in promoting and expanding the banned outfit’s anti-national activities. Incriminating materials linked to the activities of CPI (Maoist) cadre were previously seized by NIA during searches at the residences of the arrested individuals. Kandula Sirisha, a former armed cadre (Technical Incharge) of CPI (Maoist), was known to receive funds from the group, and both she and Duddu Prabhakar worked for different frontal outfits to propagate the Maoist ideology.
NIA revealed that the arrested duo frequently visited the core Naxal belt in the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zone, where they met with late RK alias Akkiraju Haragopal, a prominent leader of the United Front. The Tiriya encounter occurred in July 2019 when a joint team comprising the local District Reserve Guard (DRG), Special Task Force (STF), and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) acted on a tip-off and ventured into the forest area near Tiriya in the Nagarnar area of Jagdalpur district in Chhattisgarh. The operation was launched based on information that a group of Maoist cadres had gathered to plan a significant incident on July 28, observed as Shaheed Diwas.
Following the encounter, security forces recovered weapons, ammunition, handwritten documents, and literature from the site, leading to the initiation of investigations into the case. The case was initially registered on July 28, 2019, under relevant sections of the Arms Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Subsequently, the NIA took over the case, along with several other cases related to Maoist conspiracy in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, on March 18, 2021.
