AP Minister Killed in Landmine Blast

A. Madhava Reddy, the Andhra Pradesh Minister for Panchayati Raj Administration, was killed in a landmine blast on March 7.

Suspected activists of the outlawed People's War Group (PWG), an extreme Left outfit, detonated two powerful landmines at the newly constructed rail bridge in Ghatkesar, on the outskirts of Hyderabad, killing the minister, his chief security officer and the driver on the spot.

The blast occurred at 10.45 p.m. when the minister was returning to the city after campaigning for municipal elections in Bhongir.

Reports said the attack seemed well-planned as the there were no signs of the earth having been freshly dug up, indicating that the mines may have been planted during the construction of the bridge itself. Nine-volt batteries have been found at the site of detonation, 60 feet away from the road.

The minister was reportedly on the hit list of the PWG, whose activists are also known as Naxalites.

State Home Minister T. Devender Goud had apparently informed the state police inspector general H.J. Dora that Reddy had not increased his security cover despite being told that he would be a prime target during campaigning for the civic polls, a local news report said.

Reddy was not traveling in a bullet-proof vehicle despite being a "marked" person in "Z-plus" security category.

The attack on Reddy is part of stepped-up activity by the PWG, which has its stronghold in the Telengana region of the state and is also active in the southern parts of neighboring Madhya Pradesh and Orissa. Recently, the PWG had used landmines to kill over 20 policemen in Madhya Pradesh's Bastar district and, a few weeks earlier, had killed a minister of the state government.

The attacks are believed to be in retaliation for the killing of three PWG leaders in a police encounter.