Comrade Koram Ramadevi
Com. Rajitha was martyred in a fake encounter at Bonthagutta in the Somalagadda forest area in January 2006. She was born in a poor family in Mukunur village of Karimnagar district. She was the eldest child of her parents. She studied upto sixth standard but could not continue after that due to poverty. Rajitha had immense confidence and respect for the party since childhood. She used to sing revolutionary songs since she was a child and talk to women about party politics and methods. Rajitha was married at the age of 15 to Gauranna who was a revolutionary mass organization leader. Both of them wanted to come into the party.
But Gauranna died due to illness. Rajitha also became ill and faced difficulties and so her joining the squad was postponed. She finally got recruited into the squad in December 2004. As a LGS member she worked as a teacher and doctor in the squad and undertook any task given to her. She was in the forefront in all works and worked with determination. She used to mingle well with the comrades and wished everyone with a smile on her face. She competed with other comrades in hard work and worked day and night with patience and steely determination.
When some people who were recruited along with her surrendered to the enemy she used to feel she should take up the work of 10 more people for the sake of revolution. She helped her fellow comrades who could not go to school to learn quickly. She helped everyone. Though Rajitha is no more amongst us, let us learn from her patience, determination, immense confidence and skill. Let us carry forward her revolutionary spirit.

Comrade Oyam Yenki
Com. Yenki was born in Gommepad village of Kunta taluq, Dantewada district. She was the third child of her parents. She had an elder sister, an elder brother, two younger brothers and a younger sister. She was born in a poor peasant family in the Dorla tribe. She came close to the party since she was a child. Since her whole family was participating in the actvities of various sangams she never used to miss even one programme. She was very much interested in songs, dances and meetings.
She had good attachment with the party. As a child she worked in the Bal Sangam at first and then worked in the KAMS. She wanted to join the squad but party did not agree as she was too young. But she insisted and got recruited in January 2003 at the age of 16. The DVC appreciated the militant nature in Yenki and sent her to Konta squad where they closely guided her in political and military matters. Later she was transferred to Kistaram LGS. After working for some days, she was transferred to Pamed LGS. She was given party membership in 2004. Later she was transferred to Company-2. She fulfilled her responsibilities with enthusiasm in the company.
Within a short time she won the affections of her comrades. The Company party committee discussed about her development and gave her the responsibility as the section deputy commander. She was always with a smile on her lips and energetic. She was always in the forefront in doing exercises and in taking up difficult tasks. Yenki was a hard working model guerilla. That is why everybody tried to take her as an ideal. Yenki was in the forefront in facing the attacks of fascist Salwa Judum in Dantewada and Bijapur in 2005. She followed the caution of the commander in ambushes and raids. She did not leave till she fulfilled her tasks.
She saw it to its end. The party in DK decided to annihilate the Salwa Judum goondas in the rahat sibirs (relief camps) where they are perpetuating atrocities on women and children especially. As part of this the Gangalur sibir was raided with a force of 400 persons led by the main forces and in which soldiers of secondary and base forces also participated. This was named ‘Operation Gangalur’. Eight SPOs (Special Police Officers) and Salwa Judum goons were killed and ten more were injured. Some more of them were given warning and let off. During the raid Com. Yenki, a section deputy commander in Platoon-2 led a team to raid another den of the goondas. But the two inch mortar shell launched by the enemy fell near the team and the mines nearby also exploded. Com. Yenki and three militia members lost their lives in this explosion on January 29, 2006.

Comrade Kanakalakshmi (Lalitha)
Com. Kanakalakshmi was born in Medaram village of Dharmaram mandal in Karimnagar district. Their family was poor. She was the second among three sisters. She studied till 10th standard and joined in Intermediate in Karimnagar. But she had to discontinue her studies due to economic problems. Lalitha had seen the exploitation and oppression of the land lords from her childhood. In her family her father was a drunkard and sadist. He had relations with some other woman and had written the one acre land and house in his brother’s name. Since then, conflict started between the father on one side and the mother with her three daughters on one side.
A caste panchayat was held but the bad gentry who conducted it are so corrupt that they took bribes and banished the mother and daughters from the caste. Lalitha began thinking about the root cause of such atrocities on the weaker sections of the society. Lalitha’s brother-in-law was in contact with the party. Through him Lalitha came into the contact of the party in 2000. She began meeting the party people from then on. She introduced women from her village to the party. When the campaign batches came to the village for conducting propaganda, she mobilized women to attend those meetings and made them sing songs too.
After the meetings, police came and enquired as to who met the squad, who sang songs etc. They arrested the women, councelled them against the movement and released them. Lalitha was given a warning not to meet the squad again as she was the main person who organized the women and her family was banished too. From then on, the land lords and bad gentry village came to know that she had contacts with the party and that she might go into the party and so kept an eye on her. After leaving her studies she began working as a private teacher in Medaram. In the panchayats held for solving her family’s problem, she used to talk back against the bad gentry. She even booked a case against her father. So her father and the bad gentry began propagating that she had contact with the party and harassed her by informing the police.
During that period, the party could not meet her for some time. So she learnt computer for some days in Karimnagar. She worked as a nurse in Karimnagar. When she came to visit the village, they used to propagate that she had gone into the party. Her family problem became more complex. At that time some psuedo naxalites contacted her and told her that they were party people too and that they would solve her problem. She believed them and went with them. She was arrested with them with a country gun. She spent three months in Warangal jail. After her release she finally met the party again and got recruited into the party in October, 2004. She looked after the women work and students work in the area. She was promoted to the LOS committee in 2005. Lalitha was a disciplined comrade and mingled well with the cadres and leadership well.
She had good initiative and made contacts easily. She listened to the people’s problems and thought about the solutions to them. She always fought against any form of patriarchy. She felt that women too should come into leadership positions. She tried to develop herself for this task and helped other women comrades to develop too. She learnt to give medicines and became the squad doctor. She taught others too. She served the patients in the squad well and helped them recover. Such a promising, educated, conscious woman comrade was killed by the inhuman police in an ambush. Let us pledge to fight till the end to carry forward her dreams for a new society where women are not oppressed.

Comrade Isrubai
Nearly 25 years back Com. Isrubai lost her left leg in the infamous police firing in Indravelli on April 20, 1981. This incident was likened to Jallianwalah Bagh massacre. She was ailing since some days and died in December 2005. She was 65. She belonged to the village Pitta Bongaram of Indravelli mandal of Adilabad district. When thousands of Adivasis were converging at Indravalli for a public meeting to discuss their problems and find a solution, the police opened fire on the innocent Adivasis to disrupt the meeting and killed them. Isrubai could not bear the killings of the adivasis in such a brutal manner. She was a brave woman who killed one of the policemen there. A total of 13 adivasis died in this incident and many more were injured. Isrubai was one of them. Many Adivasi organizations’ leaders paid homage to her. The CPI (Maoist) Party Adilabad district Committee also paid homage to her.

Comrade Sitham Vijaya (Latha)
Com. Vijaya (18) was born in a poor dalit family in the village Ramapuram of Dachepalli mandal, Guntur district. This village is known for struggle against the upper caste land lords. The land lord Achireddy had banished the dalit basti in 1990 and conspired to kill the Sangam youth. He collected weapons and boasted that he would create another Karamchedu and Tsunduru (massacres of dalits had taken place in these two villages).
The party had annihilated him before he could perpetuate such a blood bath. Such was the challenge thrown by the dalit basti of Ramapuram to the upper caste land lords of Palnadu. This village served as the centre for the class struggle in the Dachepalli area. Seven persons were recruited into the party from this village and six out of them had become martyrs in the movement. Com. Vijaya was one of them. Vijaya’s mother was a close sympathizer of the party and had brought up her daughter with the aspiration that she should become a guerilla.
She used to tell her daughter stories about the condition of the village before the party entered and after the party activities started. After Vijaya turned 16, her mother brought her to the squad and Vijaya was recruited into the Naguleti Squad in the presence of her mother at the end of 2003. Her mother’s education and her own committment towards the people had turned her into a revolutionary. From that day, she changed her name to Latha and participated actively in the activities of the squad.
She mobilized people for meetings and consolidated them into Sangams. She participated in the Chilakaluripet and Addanki raids on police stations. She was injured in an encounter at Marrivemula hills in Prakasam dt on December 10, 2005. But she escaped from the spot and retreated alone. After walking for 2, 3 days along with those injuries, she reached Sirigitipadu forest area in Guntur district Hundreds of police combed the Palnadu area and she was caught unarmed and in an injured state in the forest. They killed her in cold blood and announced that a woman naxalite was killed in an encounter.

Comrade Injamuri Mariamma (Vijaya)
Com. Mariamma (26) was born in Gogulapadu village of Gurajala mandal in Guntur district. She was the only daughter of her poor, dalit parents and they doted on her. Her village was one of the centres of class struggle in Palnadu. From 1990, anti-feudal struggles raged in that village. Though there are three police stations all round the village within a distance of one hour, the villagers always gave shelter to the guerillas. Three persons were recruited into the movement from this village.
Vijaya was one of them. Such was the history of the village in which Mariamma was born. With the inspiration of the class struggles in her village, she decided to join the movement as a PR. At that time her parents fixed her marriage. Just one week before the marriage, she escaped from her house and tried to contact the party. But she did not get the contact. She tried for the contact by doing odd jobs for about three months. Finally she got hold of the party contact and said she wanted to join the squad. But the party suggested that she work in the women’s organization in a village for six months. She accepted and later joined the squad in 1998.
Due to poverty, she could study only up to 2nd standard. So she learnt to read and write in the squad. She worked in the Dachepalli squad from 1998 to 2000. Later she worked in the Chandravanka squad for some days. In 2001-02, she took up the responsibility of women’s organization in the Veldurty area as a squad member. She played a good role in the anti-arrack struggles which took place on a vast scale in the area. She used to do all her duties in the squad and gradually developed into an ACM in 2003 and became the commander of Dachepalli. In that period, she took up struggles on various peasant problems.
She was transferred to Chandravanka area in 2004. There she led the deluge of struggles against the Adigoppula land lords. In 2004, utilizing the flexibility during the “Talks” period, she led the mobilizations of vast numbers of people in various activities. She encouraged people to build Martyr’s Columns in many villages. Vijaya participated actively in many military actions. She led the women’s team which annihilated a notorious goon named Vali of Julakallu village. She participated in the annihilations of Naramalapadu and Adigoppula land lords. She played an active role in the bus ambush conducted in July 2004. She participated actively in the rocket attack on Durgi PS, the raids on police stations at Addanki, Nandigam and Chilakaluripet and on the NCC camp. She was part of the assault teams in these raids and played a crucial role in their success. Weapons were seized in all of them.
Due to her military prowess, she was given the responsibility of B section commander in the newly formed platoon in 2004, the first PL in Guntur district. She played an active role in all the military actions conducted by the PL. Vijaya wrote many stories and poems in the name of “Hai Tsia” which is the name of the militia heroine in a China novel. She wrote paper statements in an effective style. She led the squads coordinating organizational, political and military tasks. She later developed into the Chandravanka ACS in 2005. While working there, on December 10, 2005 an encounter took place with the police and her partner Com. Sunil was martyred in front of her eyes. But she fought the enemy valiantly alone till she fell down to enemy bullets. Let us pay red homage to this brave daughter of Palnadu.

Comrade Mamata (Battu Alisa)
She was born in Posaram village of Illendu mandal of Khammam district. She was the second child of her poor parents. Her parents had been running a brick kiln in Illendu after leaving their village in search of livelihood. But it did not run well and they ran into financial difficulties. So the family returned to the village and Mamatha worked as a bonded laborer along with her brother for rich peasants.
They used to hate the domination of New Democracy, the revisionist party which had a hold there. But since they had no other way, they had to bow their heads and work without opening their mouths. During the period of ‘Talks’ with the government in July 2004, Posaram village was awakened due to the people’s struggles against New Democracy which shattered its base. People were ready to fight against that party’s policies.
This fight was led by Mamatha’s brother. Mamatha also participated in it. The New Democracy party was questioned by the people about their corruption and their atrocities were exposed. And this was how Mamatha entered the path of stuggles. With the encouragement of her brother she stood in the forefront bravely to fight against the revisionist goons and their anti people policies. Later both brother and sister wanted to join the squads and did so in September. Ever since she joined the squad Mamatha concentrated on learning revolutionary politics and on military training. Though the ‘Talks’ ended within a few days after she joined the squads, she went ahead with determination.
She used to electrify everybody with her laughter and bubbly, talkative nature. She mingled well with the people and made sure that she in turn taught them whatever was learnt by her. Mamatha was sent to the protection squad in March 2005. Once she went outside for treatment and from there went to her village for contact with the squad. The New Democracy people tried to be very amicable with her but they had already planned to give information to the police.
She saw through their deception and she in turn deceived them and went away from the village in the dead of night and reached another village. Since both brother and sister were in the party the police and New Democracy party harassed their family in many ways and tried to get both of them to surrender. Her parents narrated all those harassments to her and cried in front of her. But Mamatha was not ready to leave the path of struggle. Her brother was a bit shaken with this.
But she told him that party would solve the problem of their family too and that it cannot become a reason to quit the party. Since the party also assured that it will solve their family’s problems, she very enthusiastically prepared herself to resist the enemy. While on their way to attack the enemy they were caught in police firing on Lingagudem hill in November 2005 and Mamatha was martyred in the firings. Com. Mamatha’s enthusiasm, determination and dedication are an inspiration to revolutionaries always.

Comrade Somulamma (Sathyavathi)
Com. Somulamma (23) was born in a poor adivasi family in Nimmalagondi village of Koyyur mandal, Visakha district. After attaining puberty she was also married off like many other young women of her age to a person from Chaparathipalem. This village was situated in the Galikonda area. Many struggles were conducted in this village against the landlords and bad gentry under the leadership of the squad. Even before her marriage, her husband had told her that he was working in the Adivasi Rytu Coolie Sangam. He also told her that he would be going off as a full timer after preparing himself for the task in future. Sathyavathi was not frightened by his decision.
She did not back off from this marriage. His lofty aim won her respect and she married him with her will. By the time of their marriage the squad was not visiting their village due to severe repression. But it came back again in 2004. The couple met the squad which came to their village in 2004. They expressed their desire to join as full timers. Party recruited them as full timers and kept them in a den in a town for technical work. (He had surrendered after her martyrdom).
Though she was born in an adivasi village she did not hesitate to live in a town for the needs of the party. After working there for some days she was again assigned to the Gurtedu squad in the forest. The Party observed her cultural interest and melodious voice and transferred her to the JNM squad in Galikonda area, agreeing to her proposal. Within a short period she gave many programmes in the villages. She learnt Kuvi language and mingled with those people by singing songs in Kuvi. Nobody could guess that she joined the squad recently after seeing her initiative. The squad planned to give training to youth in villages.
As part of that work a training camp was being held. The police got information of the camp and they attacked it on 23rd October 2005. Sathyavathi was on sentry duty along with Com. Prabhakar. When they heard some sounds she went and alerted the camp and came back to the post. They both resisted the enemy in order to safeguard the camp. But the police used launchers on the sentry post on a big scale and both comrades fell down with injuries. The police caught them with injuries and tortured and killed them in cold blood. If she had not alerted the camp, the loss would have been more serious. Satyavathi proved herself to be a model guerilla by sacrificing her life to save her comrades. Let us emulate her.

Comrades Geeta Tulavi and Sunita Madavi
On July 17 2005, police attacked the Tipragadh organizational squad. The PLGA guerillas resisted and retreated successfully. Three young girls who had come to meet the squad thought that the police would not do anything to them as they were unarmed villagers and so they stood there. But the police raped the three innocent girls. Later they killed Sunitha Madavi and Geetha Thulavi in close range and the third girl Sushil was put in jail with injuries on her body and mental scars.
Com. Sunitha was born in a poor Madavi family in Charwai village. She studied till 5th standard and joined the children’s organization in her childhood. She joined the village militia after she gew up. Com. Geetha belonged to Charwai village too. She was born in a poor peasant family and studied till 7th standard. She worked in the children’s organization and later joined the DAKMS. From the initial days of the movement, Charwai served as a bastion for the revolutionaries.

Comrade Punem Moti (Karuna)
Comrade Karuna was born in Mettapad village of Gangalur range under Bijapur Tehsil in Dantewada district. Her parents named her as Moti Punem. Inspite of her village being situated near Gangalur Police Station, it was like a bastion for the revolutionary movement. All the mass organizations in the village were actively functioning. Comrade Karuna was organizing women as a KAMS member. In this process she was inspired by Party politics and decided to dedicate her life for the cause of the revolution.
With an understanding that women cannot achieve complete liberation without the success of New Democratic Revolution she joined the revolutionary movement. Local party unit was also impressed with her work. She became a guerrilla by joining the squad in 1997. In the beginning she was in Basagudem squad. Comrade Karuna was both physically and mentally quite hale and healthy. In 1998, South Bastar Divisional Committee took her into the special guerrilla squad and she worked for a year in that. In this process party gave her membership. In 1999 she was selected to be a member of the newly formed Platoon-2.
Due to her initiative and leadership qualities in military affairs, first she has become Deputy Commander and later Section Commander. On 28th July 2004, first Company was formed in DK in which there was a special section of women and Comrade Karuna became the commander of it. Comrade Karuna participated in many military actions during her revolutionary life of 9 years from 1997 to 2005. She was a steeled woman fighter and once again she proved that a woman is no lesser than a man in any way in military field. The ambush near Torrem village near Basagudem was her first military action. In that action, 16 police personnel were killed and 17 were injured.
Karuna felt very proud of her participation in this successful ambush. Later she participated in Kongupalli, Wakulwai ambushes etc. as a member of support team. She showed her fighting spirit through participating in the ambushes conducted in Bajrangbali of North Bastar division and Tigeta, Motukupalli, Usikapatanam, Saalpalli etc. of West Bastar. She also took part in Tallagudem, Motu, Vedire, Geedam etc. police station raids.
She was Deputy Commander of ambush batch in Geedam raid. With her martyrdom, PLGA lost a capable and efficient soldier especially an aspiring woman fighter. One important characteristic of Comrade Karuna is that she never turned her back to responsibilities. She always did whichever work was allotted to her and went wherever she was sent. She fulfilled all the responsibilities given to her in military field with commitment. Com. Karuna happily accepted the responsibility in the newly formed first company in DK.
Comrade Karuna fought strongly against patriarchal trends in the party. Whenever any male comrade pressurized her for marriage in an inappropriate way, she criticized him in the meetings of the platoon. She was always against any pressure of the men on women. Just before one or two months before her martyrdom she married a fellow fighter comrade. Since he works in another area they hardly spent a week together after their marriage. Since they gave more importance to the duties of the revolution than to their personal life, they proceeded to their areas to make successful the TCOC against the enemy in their areas.
Comrade Karuna once again proved that the of married life of a revolutionary would be full of sacrifices. One more ideal characteristic of Comrade Karuna was her hardworking nature. Whether she was in platoon or in company, whether she was a member or a commander, she always used to come forward to carry luggages. In the memorial meeting held to commemorate Karuna, Company commander remembered her like this: “whenever I remember comrade Karuna, I visualise her with a bundle on her head because whenever there was any extra luggage in platoon or company she used to come forward to lift it. We must learn this quality of doing hardwork from her life.”
In the same meeting a woman comrade said, “Whenever we woman fighters feel that our self-confidence is coming down, we should remember Comrade Karuna. She is not just a source of inspiration but a source of energy also.”Comrade Karuna was selected for the assault team of Daula raid in which she had to fight by entering into enemy’s fortress. She advanced without caring a bit for her life. She fell to enemy bullets while trying to enter it.

Comrade Pottami Ramo (Somvari)
Comrade Pottami Ramo, known in the Party as ‘Somari’ and ‘Saraswati’ was born in Pumbad village of Gangalur range in Bijapur Tehsil of Dantewada district. She was the eldest among five siblings. Pumbad is one of those villages, which contributed many soldiers to fight for the liberation of the people. Pumbad’s history will be written in red letters in current history of the revolutionary movement. Many comrades from this village joined PLGA and are commanders at present.
Comrade Somari who was born and brought up in this village adopted a disciplinary life naturally. After working in KAMS she became a candidate member of the party. She joined the Gangalur guerrilla squad in 2001. She earned people’s confidence while going around the villages with the squad. By seeing her determination and discipline Party confirmed her membership. In 2003 she was transferred to Platoon-4. Later in 2004 she became a member of the newly formed First Company. She participated in Modukupalli, Salapalli ambushes and Geedam raid. Somari was an exemplary guerrilla in observing discipline.

Comrade Anjali (Vasanta)
Com. Anjali (19) was born in the Guthikonda Bilam village where Com. Charu Majumdar had conducted the meeting of the All India Coordination Committee of Revolutionaries. She was inspired by the people’s struggles in Palnadu area. During the 2004 ‘Talks’ period she participated in the land struggles in her village. She participated in the building of Martyrs column for Charu Mazumdar in her village. She went as a volunteer to the meeting in Hyderabad where formation of CPI (Maoist) was hailed.
She became a full timer in November 2004 and worked in the Bilam area. She worked with determination withstanding all the physical problems and difficulties in the squad life. She had good initiative and was always cheerful. She learnt to read and write within a short period. She was martyred in an encounter with the police on April 20, 2005 along with Com. Sunita.

Comrade Ramulamma (Sunita)
Com. Sunita (20) was born in a poor dalit family in Adigoppula village of Durgi mandal in Guntur district Her parents married her off at a very young age. She was harassed by her drunkard husband and her in-laws. She could not bear it any longer and informed the party in the village. The party tried to transform her husband and her in-laws by convincing them to look after her well but they did not heed. Finally Sunita decided to separate from him.
She was in the forefront in all the struggles in her village. Gradually she developed her consciousness and decided to work as a PR in the party. Sunita joined the Chandravanka squad at the end of 2003. Within a few days, she was transferred to the platoon. In 2004, she participated in the two Remidicharla ambushes actively. She participated in the rocket attack on Bandlamotu PS. She participated in the Addanki and Chilakaluripeta raids on police stations as an assault team member.
Thus she played her role in getting weapons for the PLGA. She participated in punishing the land lords too. She worked with initiative and daring during the repressive regime of Chandrababu Naidu. She was always conscious about the need to protect the leadership. She used to do military practice daily in the squad. She was a hard worker and did all her works patiently. She learnt to read and write in the party in a very short time and began reading books. She had great thirst for knowledge and always tried to increase her awareness by asking questions. She wanted to develop herself along with the movement. She was martyred in an encounter at Marrivemula in Pullalacheruvu area on April 20, 2005. She laid down her life valiatly fighting the enemy.

Comrade Nirmala
Martyrdom: 17-04-2005
Nirmala (20) was born in the village Mondigadda of Chintapalli mandal of Visakha district. Since she was from a poor family she used to work hard from childhood. She had to take up many household responsibilities from a young age. During the ‘Talks’ period, Korukonda squad entered their village for the first time. She joined the squad during the ‘Talks’ period. She too joined the squad to escape forceful marriages like many other women comrades. She took up the responsibility of woman work in the squad. Within a few days time she participated actively in the women organization activities.
Nirmala worked actively to moblilize women in the rally against arrack which was held in Chintapalli as part of the anti arrack struggle and in destroying arrack and brandy shops. Though her revolutionary life was not too long, she had participated very actively in all the activities. She mobilized women in destroying gud and toddy used for making liquor. She had a role in putting up posters and conducting meetings in Lankapakala to increase wages of coffee plantation labourers. When jeep drivers harassed women, they took them to task and Nirmala was with them. Her brother was not happy that she too joined the squad like him.
When he asked her why she came, she said, ‘you do your struggle and I would do mine’. She learnt to read and write in the party and took lot of interest in educating herself. On April 17th 2005, near Gunuguralla the squad came under a police attack. During the attack one of the villagers urged her to escape along with him. But she chose to heroically fight the enemy and laid down her precious life in that battle. Nirmala joined the numerous martyrs within a short period of her revolutionary life. Let us pay homage to her with bowed heads.

Comrade Com. Korra (Anita)
Com. Korra Salo was born in a poor family in Bonampally village of Gudem mandal of Visakha district. Both her parents died and so she used to work as a daily wage labourer along with her two sisters and a brother and earned her livelihood. Her village was under influence of the movement since 1984. All sangams were active in the village and it falls under the Korukonda squad. The village stood firm in repression too. Com. Anitha joined the Bal Sangam (children’s organization) when she was still a child. After she grew up she joined the woman militia. She went to villages and conducted meetings and increased the political awareness of the people.
She opposed forced marriages and propagated against toddy drinking. She exhorted men to participate in house work. She participated in the struggles for increase in wages of coffee plantation labourers and fair prices for coffee seeds. Later she joined the squad in 2001 during a militia campaign. At first she worked in the JNM squad. Later she worked in the Galikonda area for some time. Then she worked in the Galikonda special squad for some days. When Gurthedu squad was reconstituted, she was sent as a member of that squad. All three members in that squad were women. At first they were doubtful about how people would receive them. They went and developed contacts with the people. Since all of them were women, the men in the villages were reluctant to do sentry for them at first. They withstood many such hurdles and gained hold over the area.
Anita’s effort was main in converting that area into ‘revolutionary’ area. Anita worked very hard in building the memorial column of Com. Rajesh who was martyred in 2003 at Pathakota. She mobilized people while going around the villages in civil dress. During ‘Talks’ she participated actively in the inauguration meeting of Darakonda Martyrs Column. While she was in Gurtedu squad, she used to accompany the women organizer of that area.
She used to mingle very actively with the women and enquire about their problems. The party observed her interest in this field and so she was transferred to Chitrakonda squad and given responsibility of the woman work there. She was in the EC of the divisional committee of the AVMS. She participated in military actions too. Anita withstood all kind of rigours in a revolutioanary’s life. Especially she stood firm in the severe repression period in 2001 and 2002. In 2003 and 2004, the enemy succeeded in making her villagers surrender. Even sangam members who had served as her inspiration had also surrendered.
When her sister surrendered, she criticized her. Ramulamma worked in Mahila Sangam and was Anita’s relative too. She also came under enemy’s influence. But Anita was not confused with all this. She conducted a meeting in her village and explained about the tactics of the enemy and asked them to stand by the movement. She longed to keep her family on the side of the revolution. The squad consisting of Anitha and five other members was camping near the village Gunukuralla on April 17 th , 2005. Sixty policemen surrounded them and opened fire.
While retreating Anitha saw that the squad commander Com. Ramana was firing by taking position there. She thought she cannot leave him to fight alone there and so she came back and started firing to give cover fire to the commander by taking postion. She was martyred in that heroic battle with the enemy. In this encounter the commander Ramana, Comrades Nirmala and Santhi were martyred. Anita’s memories will remain forever in our hearts teaching us how to stand by the movement and comrades.

Comrade Santi (Malleswari)
Com. Malleswari (20) was born in Syamagadda village of Gudem mandal of Visakha district. Since her father died when she was still a child, she had to take up family responsibilities at a young age. She worked as a wage laborer along with her mother. She had a younder brother. She used to do all kinds of works in the fields including ploughing. She studied till 5th standard even while doing all these works. She came into Korukonda squad contact when she was still a child.
She used to do the works given by the squad. She took up difficult tasks too and did not hesitate to travel in darkness. Thus she got the training to work while safeguarding the party secrets from her childhood. Gradually she joined the militia and also worked for some time with the JNM squad. She was in protection duty for the militia camp in September 2004 and fulfilled her duties well. She opposed forceful marriage at home and joined the Korukonda squad after attending the recruitment camp in October 2004.
She came to know that some persons are planning to take her away to forcefully get her married and so she escaped and joined the squad. She used to participate in all the works of the squad very actively. In spite of ill health she used to participate in all works. She used to carry heavy luggages. She mingled well with the people. Santi was never shy and spoke with confidence in meetings. She spoke against discrimination of women and used to exhort men to do house work too.
Since she studied upto 5th standard, she could read and she used to read party literature with lot of attention and interest. She encouraged other comrades too and also read to them. Santi mobilized people into the anti arrack struggle conducted in their area. She participated in destruction of arrack depots and brandy shops. She was part of this struggle in Korpalli and Siribala blocks. She participated in people’s courts where wrong doers who harassed women were punished. She worked with good initiative in mobilizing people on various issues.
She escaped during an encounter in Gaddibanda in January 2005, spent three days alone in bushes and finally met the squad again. She never lost her spirit. Santi was worried about her mother who had to live alone working as a labourer. But she knew only revolution can ensure good life for such poor people. On the day of the Gunukuralla encounter she was seriously ill with fever. In spite of her condition, she immediately took up her weapon.
But she believed the enemy when he said he would spare them if they laid down their guns. She left her gun and lifted up her hands. The police asked her to come nearer with her hands up and then rid her body with bullets. This was a great lesson for the comrades who believe the enemy in such situations. This active comrade was killed brutally by the police at Gunukuralla on April 17, 2005. Let us pledge to avenge her death.

Comrade Kaalla Ailamma (Swaroopa)
Com. Ailamma was born in Nagaram village of Bhoopalapalli mandal of Warangal dt in a poor family. She had an elder sister. Her mother died when she was a child. Her father herded sheep. Due to poverty both the sisters went to work as labourers. Swaroopa was married off at a young age. But her husband was a drunkard and he began harassing her within a few days after marriage. So she came back to her father’s home and started working in the Sangam.
Her father put pressure on her to go back to her husband. But she was not ready for that. Finally she decided to become a full timer for the party and joined the squad in 1994. Her squad life started in the Mahadevpur area of Karimnagar district. Within six months she learnt to read and write and began reading books. She showed interest in studying the society. She was sent to Manuguru area to work there. She went there without hesitation though that area was new to her. Between 1995 and 2006, she worked in the Kinnera and Manuguru areas. She had health problems and her uterus was removed. But she continued in the squad life in spite of health problems.
She fulfilled her responsibilities as the member of LGS committee. A Mahila squad was formed in 2001 to develop the women’s movement in the Eturunagaram area and she worked in it as the deputy commander. Later she was transferred to Venkatapur in 2002 and there she worked as the deputy commander of Wajedu LGS. Though it was a hilly terrain and the language new, she overcame her health problems with revolutionary spirit and fulfilled her duties. It was a hard life there.
But she continued. In 2004, she became the commander of Charla squad. In this process, her health condition deteriorated further and she did not want it to become a hurdle for the whole squad. So she put the proposal before the party to give her some other work other than organizational work. The party considered this reasonable proposal and relieved her from the responsibility of the commander. She became very sick and so she went to the hospital for treatment. There she was caught by the enemy and was murdered. She was a model guerilla in overcoming health problems and working with revolutionary spirit.

Comrade Lakshmi
Com. Lakshmi was born in a dalit family in Madduru village of Pamulapadu mandal of Kurnool district. She came from a poor family and with a background of extreme exploitation of the landlords of her village. Their parents educated her but as a dalit woman she could not escape the various kinds of discriminations in the society. She was a sensitive girl and many questions were rising in her mind about the inequalities in the society.
Her questioning nature led her to revolutionary politics while she was studying in Kurnool. Within a short period she decided that this was the path to end all kinds of exploitation and discrimination in the society. She began working in a women’s organization and mobilized the poor, dalit, exploited women as well as students and middle class women and women employees in various struggles in Kurnool town. She played a key role in establishing the women’s organization as a champion of the oppressed. She was an excellent singer and performer and created a strong impact on the people whenever she performed.
When she used to sing about the agony of mothers of martyrs, people used to be so moved that they wept. When she sang describing the Belli Lalitha, the people’s singer as a nightingale, it was as if she was also a nightingale singing. Such was the sweetness and expression in her voice. She had successfully conducted many cultural workshops of the women’s organization and trained many cultural activists. She gradually won the confidence of the cadres and was elected as a state EC member of the women’s federation she was working for. She was active in propagating that New Democratic Revolution was the solution to the problems women were facing.
She used to work very hard and carried on her activities even while doing tailoring work for her livelihood. The YSR government wanted to end the “Talks” process as soon as possible as it feared that the enormous influence of the revolutionary politics on the people would turn against it. So it caught Com. Lakshmi and tortured her to death on January 8th 2005 in Prakasam district and ended the ‘Talks’ process. It is still difficult for dalit women in our society to come out and participate in political activities.
It is really commendable that Lakshmi developed herself into a state leader in such a short time. She served as a model to many young girls in the slums who tried to emulate her. It is a big loss to the women’s movement also as it is still not so easy to find such dedicated leaders who serve the people without any selfishness in an atmosphere where most of the women organizations and so called leaders are taking funds and becoming corrupt or insincere.

Comrade Limmi Thimma (Sarita)

Limmi Timma (Sarita) was born in Gadder village in Kasansur range of Gadhchiroli district 28 years ago. Her village and family have been linked to the revolutionary movement ever since the Party reached her village in the early 1980s. The youngest in her family, her life too, from the very beginning has been integrally involved with the ups and downs of the revolutionary movement in the area. In 1985 her father became a member of the DAKMS.

By 1990 her brother was a leader of the mass organization. When the Maharashtra Government launched severe repression on the tribal peasant movement in 1991 her family was one of those affected. Both her father and brother were arrested. Her family faced a desperate situation because they had no one to till the fields and they could not afford to pay the legal expenses to get the arrested persons released. In spite of this the family’s commitment to the revolutionary cause did not waver.

Comrade Janjanam Savithri
Savithri was born in a poor family in Polavaram of Krishna district in 1967. She was an intelligent child and so her parents tried to educate her well in spite of economic difficulties. She studied till Intermediate in Mangalagiri of Guntur district. Though some people argued that girls should do only soft natured jobs, she chose to join engineering course. Thus she opposed the role models propagated by this feudal society. She came to Visakhapatnam for doing her B.E. She stayed in the ladies’ hostel and fought the reactionary, upper caste forces among the women students. She stood up and gave support to the girls who were ragged or sexually harassed.
She vehemently opposed ragging and caste discrimination especially by the Kamma caste girls who tried to dominate everywhere including mess hall. Due to these rebel qualities, she was naturally attracted towards revolutionary politics. She came into contact with the party during a women’s seminar conducted by RWA in 1987 and gradually came closer. She played an active role in the launching of women’s organization in Visakha and turned the ladies hostel into one of its strongholds. Room no. 52 became one of the addresses of the women’s organization. Naturally she was elected as the leader of the hostel twice in succession.
As the ladies representative, she fought the corruption in mess and the authoritative attitudes of the warden. In 1990 RSU could once again come out in the open due to the legal opportunities and she became active in it. She was active in all the struggles led by it, both as an activist and its leader. She vehemently opposed the casteism prevalent in Andhra University and was naturally in the forefront in the pro-mandal agitation. She belonged to the weaver community and from her childhood she developed awareness about the caste oppression and discrimination which is prevalent in the Indian feudal society. As soon as she joined the university she led the movement for the implementation of recommendations of Murlidhara Rao commission. She was in the forefront in exposing the corruption of university officials and the so called student leaders.
She participated in the agitations against evacuation of slum dwellers with other mass organizations and showed how students should care for the problems of the people. She was in the forefront in all the agitations against atrocities on women and dowry deaths. She participated in the discussion forums of women’s organizations and gave speeches in many of their meetings. She played a key role in the agitation of the university students against the Tsundur massacre of dalits by upper caste landlords. She hoisted the black flag in the place of the tri-color flag as a protest on August 15. Though the hostel authorities threatened her, she was not deterred and went ahead with the hoisting.
The slogans she shouted in the procession on the same day expressing solidarity to the Tsundur dalits still reverberate on the Visakha roads. She became a PR in 1992 while still studying in the university. She worked as a lecturer in Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (Gitam) for some days after completing her M.E. and played an active role in all the progressive struggles and guided them. She worked secretely for six years as a central organizer of the party and led many struggles. In all the struggles of the students against the corruptions and anti- student policies of wardens, VCs and in all other student agitations, Savithri was the motivating force behind. Many pamphlets and posters drafted by her inspired the students a lot.
When a woman student activist’s name was written on walls in an obscene manner with the backing of the university authorities, there was a student agitation and finally they could extract an apology. When one professor sexually harassed a student, the students agitated and dishonored him publicy. Savithri guided these agitations. She was such an expert organizer that she guided a cover women’s organization in the university without anyone getting any smell of it as a party organization.
Savithri played a key role in the Visakha city organization. She displayed good initiative in taking decisions on any kind of problem. She displayed responsibility in their implementation too. She married Com. Bhaskar. (He later worked as Visakha city secretary and was killed by the police in a fake encounter on April 16, 1999). This couple guided many agitations in the city. She participated as a delegate in the city party conference held in 1996 and played an active role. She conducted deep discussions on the documents. She put forth her views on which sections to work among in the city to strenghthen it and also how the city movement should stand in support of the rural movement.
She was co-opted into the AP state Mahila Co-ordination Committee (a sub-committee) in 1997 to contribute in the building of the women’s movement in the state. This was in recognition of her constant efforts in the building of women’s movement in Visakha and also her keen understanding regarding the women’s question. She went to Salwapur village for the sub-committee meeting (tragically her first and last meeting). This village is in Warangal district but a Medak district squad looks after it and the meeting was being held under the protection of that squad. The police got concrete information about the shelter and attacked them on the night of December 21, 1997.
Unarmed Savithri was injured in that attack and was caught by the police. They tortured her along with another injured comrade Prasad and killed both of them in cold blood. A true people’s intellectual and agitator-organizer, who dedicated her life for the oppressed people was killed in the most brutal manner by the fascist Chandrababu Naidu police. She held high the red flag in the Andhra University in the legacy of another bright student of AU – Bommareddy Snehaltha who was killed in a fake encounter during emergency. The people of Visakha and the AU students will never forget these two bright, intellectual women who laid down their lives for their liberation.

Comrade Lakshmi
Com. Lakshmi (Jyothi, Madhavi) was a member of the Kinnera squad of North Telangana Forest division. She was born in Bhongirpalli village of Bhopalpalli mandal, Warangal district She had one sister. Lakshmi studied till 5th standard. As they had economic difficulties, she had to work as a labourer. At the young age of 15, she was married against her will. She had faced harassment of her husband in her in-laws’ home and it was difficult for her to bear the feudal traditions which her in-laws imposed on her. So she went back to her parents. Lakshmi had progressive thinking from the beginning and she was attracted towards revolutionary ideology in 1992.
She came into contact with the Mahadevpur squad. There was no women’s organization in her village and she worked actively in the Rytu Coolie Sangam. Party told her to organize women and teach the villagers to read and write in the night school. She fulfilled these responsibilities sincerely. People were afraid to give shelter to the squad due to the severe repression unleashed by the enemy in 1992. So she used to sleep alone in the forest and went around the villages teaching revolutionary politics to the people. In 1993, responding enthusiastically to the call of the party she joined the Mahadevpur squad as a full time activist changing her name to Jyothi.
She never wasted her time in the squad and developed herself politically. She developed her understanding about poeple’s problems and came closer to them. She married a fellow guerilla in the end of 1993. It was a love marriage. She upheld party ideals in her personal relations too. She became a party member in 1994. Though she had serious health problems she overcame them with political consciousness. She was bitten by a snake and had spots all over her body. Her leg had a wound. Still she participated in the military camp in 1996.
In May, 1996 she participated actively in the special political classes for women and insisted on the importance of building the women’s organization. In September, 1996 she joined the Kinnera squad as Madhavi and within a short period, she became an apple of the eye of the people of that area. When the squad was talking to the tendu leaf labourers in Venkatapuram village in Aswapur mandal, SSF police attacked them on May 10, 1997. Lakshmi was hit in the heart and died heroically fighting the enemy. Even in her last moments, she did not lose heart and told her fellow comrades about her condition and died. The revolutionary movement had lost a good teacher and organizer.

Comrade Jadi Annapurna
Com. Annapurna (Geetha) was born in a poor family in Mandamarri of Adilabad district Her family was in contact with the party and her brother was working as a full timer. So Purna came under the influence of revolutionary politics since she was a child. She studied till 5th standard and stopped her studies as they were too poor to send her to school. She used to read revolutionary literature with the little knowledge she had and tried to understand the society.
Even after getting married, she longed to know about the party and its politics. Her husband was a drunkard and a good for nothing fellow. Many times she tried to put him on the correct path but what she got in reply was physical and mental abuse. She had to go without food too. She gave birth to a son. As the harassment of her husband increased with each passing day, she left him and came back to her parent’s home.
She told her brother in 1993 that she wanted to work in the party. With the help and encouragement of her brother, she came into contact with the party. She worked as an anganwadi teacher for some days. She stayed in Bellampalli town for one year on the suggestion of the party. In 1994, she changed her name to Geetha and joined the squad leaving her son and parents.
She was much attached to her son but left him for a higher ideal. In 1996, she was given party membership. She worked as a doctor in the squad and was kind in looking after the sick persons, thus winning the confidence of guerillas. She never tolerated any discrimination on women. She insisted on the importance of building women’s movement. On 8-5-1997, SSF police attacked the Bodh squad at 5.30 a.m. and Geetha and the commander of the squad Com. Arjun were martyred in that attack. Geetha had the potential to come into leadership soon and it is a great loss to have lost such a comrade in the enemy onslaught.

Comrade Padma (Vijaya)
On September 9, 1993, a six member squad had taken shelter in Padkal village in Nizamabad district. 550 police and para military forces surrounded the village. The squad fought for about 24 hours with the enemy heroically. The commander killed an STF police and seized an AK-47 from him and escaped safely from the encirclement in one of the most heroic incidents in the history of the movement. The squad members Vijaya, Lalitha were martyred along with three more members in this incident.
Com. Padma was born in a middle class family in Bachanpalli village, Bhimgal mandal of Nizamabad district. Her parents stopped sending her to school after she finished her primary school with the feudal ideology that girls don’t need higher studies. 19 year old Padma used to roll beedies at home. She was inspired by the anti-feudal struggles breaking in her village and in the neighbouring villages. She tried for party contact and after finding the squad, expressed her wish to join it.
The party advised her to work in the village among women for some time and increase her political understanding. She heeded the advice. Her parents were against her working in the party and so they sent to her away to their relatives’ house for some days. But Padma again got hold of the contact of the party and joined the squad in the beginning of 1993. She worked as Vijaya in the Sirnapalli squad. She used to mingle with all the old and new members in the squad like an old friend.
On 9-9-1993, the squad took shelter in Padkal. After finishing their meals at night, she came downstairs and was talking with the house owner when the police surrounded the house with specific information about the squad. Padma was caught unarmed and killed after severe torture even while the encounter was going on. Padma laid down her life for the cause of revolution at a very young age. Let us emulate her ideals.

Comrade Sakkubai (Aruna)
Com. Aruna was born in Timmayapalli of Medak district in a poor family. 900 acres of patta land of a big land lord Narsimha Reddy of her village was occupied by the people under the leadership of the party. She wanted to be part of the struggle which would unshackle the feudal chains of her people. She used to bring her friends also to meet the squad. Since she lived in poverty from childhood, economic problems were not new to her. She not only used to weed and cut the harvest but also did difficult jobs like ploughing, slicing wood etc along with her brothers. Along with helping her family in the fields, she used to make beedis to help sustain her family.
When her fathrer harassed her mother, she supported her mother by standing up against him. She helped her mother in the household work and showered the love of a mother on her brothers. Such was the personality of Sakkubai. In 1988, Sakkubai came full time into the party and worked as Aruna in the Ellareddy squad for some time. Then she worked in Bhimgal in the name of Lakshmi. She met the women workers in the beedi factories and explained to them about the exploitation of seths and munims.
She encouraged them to join the sangams and prepared them to fight for their rights. She mobilized the support of other sections of people for the struggles of wage labourers. The Gonugoppula land lord America Chenna Reddy was annihilated and his car was blasted in order to control the land lords who stood against the land occupation struggles of the peasantry. She displayed good initiative in this struggle. She was in the forefront in punishing many goons, informers and oppressors of people.
She won the enormous confidence of the people of her area and tried to fulfill her responsibility as a cell member in the squad well. Aruna had always tried to organize and lead the people into struggles even amidst severe repression. Though she suffered from severe stomach ache many times and had become sick with other illnesses, she worked in the squad with renewed determination climbing hills and walking in the forests. She is a role model of a people’s leader which all of us have to emulate. Aruna died in an encounter with the police near Bhairanpur in Banswada area of Nizamabad district in 1993.

Comrade Shantakka
Comrade Santhakka was born in a ‘Gonda’ family of Cheryal (in Warangal District). In the beginning Santhakka opposed the participation of her husband Com. Sattenna in party activities. In due course, observing the politics and practice of the party, she also decided to work as a full timer. Leaving their son behind, she became a member of the squad of which Sattenna was the commander and spent two years of harsh squad life. Comrade Santhakka became literate only after joining the party.
She used to be in the forefront of all kinds of works in the squad and used to express her views without any hesitation. She played her role in solving the problems arising in the squad. With the information given by a traitor, comrades Sattenna and Santhakka were arrested by the police when they came out for medical treatment. But police could not get a single piece of information from these ideal communists even after very cruel torture and so shot them dead and repeated the usual fake story of encounter.
Though knowing the whereabouts of Chityala squad, the firm determination of comrade Santhakka in not revealing the information and saving the lives of many comrades is exemplary to others. To see the bodies of their beloved leaders thousands of people came defying the police repression. Even enduring the lathi charge, they paid their homage to those martyr comrades and took an oath to take their path

Comrade Chintha Sammakka (Rama)
Com. Sammakka was born in a poor adivasi family in Chelpaka village, Eturunagaram mandal, Warangal district. Her mother died when she was a child and her father was a drunkard. She was the eldest daughter and so the responsibility of the family fell on her. She looked after her younger brother and two sisters. Her body was steeled with hard labour. She married the man she loved, defying the adivasi traditions there.
Her husband was a RYL activist. He used to work day and night for the organization. In the beginning, Sammakka did not understand these politics and used to fight with him demanding that he stop working for RYL.
Even his sisters used to support her as they were also opposed to their brother’s participation in these activities. But he was very firm and did not waver under their pressure. The repression on him increased and he had to go underground as a full timer. So inevitably Sammakka had to come and meet the squad if she wanted to meet him and know about his welfare.
When she met the squad, she saw with her own eyes how loving and caring they were with each other and how they were striving for the common good of the people. Mainly she was inspired by their determination to sacrifice anything for the sake of the people. So she too decided to dedicate her life for the movement and told the party. She joined the squad as a full timer in 1992 and worked in the Manuguru squad. Since she was a hard worker from her childhood, she withstood all the rigours of the squad life easily. She carried the heaviest luggages of the squad. She learnt to read and write with determination.
In the military camp, she could jump a longer distance than the men comrades in the pit jump item. She had good memory and within a short period she learnt to remember which medicine to give for the different ailments. Soon she became the doctor of her squad. She worked as Rama in the Manuguru, Pandava and Kinnera squads for about two years as a party member. When Sammakka went to bring water from the Medaram village tank for the squad she was hit by the police in an opportunity raid by them and died. Such a promising working class leader was lost to the movement inflicting a great loss to the revolution. She was just 25 years old when she died.

Comrade Korra Tubri
Comrade Korra Tubri belongs to Dondulagondi village of Malkangiri sub- division, in the state of Odisha. This was located in the East division (presently in AOB). She was born in a poor peasant Kuvvi adivasi family in the 70s. Tubri was influenced by revolutionary politics at a very young age. The people of her village were influenced by the struggles under the party leadership against the Kapu community atrocities in the neighbouring village.
They joined the sangam with great enthusiasm. They also struggled for fair rates for their agricultural produce. Tubri was influenced with these struggles and joined the Korukonda Dalam in 1986. But the party did a rethinking and sent her back home since she was not even 16 years of age. But as police of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha arrested and tortured her many times, by 1987 she was allowed to join the squad. She was known as Seethakka since then and worked in the Ellavaram and Nagulakonda squads. She actively participated in annihilating landlords and informers and in ambushing the police. In the legal period of 1990, many land struggles broke out in Ellavaram area on a large scale. Land lords who opposed the land struggles were brought to book in people’s courts and were punished. She played an active role in all of them.
Her efforts in building women’s organizations in the Ellavaram area are worth mentioning. She mobilized women to oppose polygamy and forceful marriages in various tribes and consolidated them in sangams. Due to her efforts women teams were formed and they propagated about women’s problems. She mobilized women on a large scale for the inauguration of the division martyrs column. In Nagulakonda area non-adivasis are larger in number. They take adivasi women as second wives to settle there and to occupy the lands of the adivasi women. After taking their lands they either abandon them or ignore them. Some of them lure the adivasi women and go into relations with them. They use them sexually and abandon them when they get transferred from that area. In almost all the villages such women could be found then.
The women’s organization had developed in the process of standing firmly on behalf of these women while punishing the men who deceived them. Gradually women played an active role in the land struggles there. They resisted the repression bravely. They protected the squads in severe repression too. Com. Tubri’s role was an important one in giving women such courage. She participated in the struggles to increase wages of labour, for fair prices for agriculture produce and against the exploitation of the forest officers. She faced the severe repression in the Nagulakonda area. While she was member of Pidithamamidi squad, she participated in the anti- liquor agitation and in the struggle for increasing the rates of tendu leaf collection and bamboo cutting. She was active in the military field too. She came out safely from the encounters at Mohanapuram, Jadderu, and Guntuvanipalem fighting the enemy.
When the police murdered five comrades at Guntuvanipalem, she participated in the ambush at Chintalammagati conducted as a protest against it. Some police were injured in this ambush. She learnt to read and write in the squad. She married Com. Sagar (Patti Narayana) in 1988. To face the repression the Nagulakonda squad decided to extend its area of operation. As part of that extension work a four member team had gone to survey the area and stopped at Parupakala. They took shelter in Gaddi Rajaih’s house as it was situated alone on one side of the village. Since it was a new area, the squad did not have an idea about the people.
The party had fought against a close relative of Rajaih and he had turned against the party. That is why he gave shelter to the squad and then tipped off the police. The police gave him poison and he mixed it in the food. On 28th July 1992 (Martyr’s Day) at 4’o clock in the morning the police surrounded them and disarmed the commander of the squad Com.Vijayakumar, Mandala Mallesh, Patti Narayana and Tubri, brutally torured and killed them. Let us offer red salutes to all Parupakala martyrs. Let us pledge to realize their dream of socialist society. Tubri participated in the struggle with an ambition to destroy this society which is rabidly patriarchal. Her life is a great inspiration for revolutionaries and all women.

Comrade Devata Janaki
Every individual is unique in a way. If the lives of all martyrs are closely analyzed every one of them can be identified with some specific characteristic. Comrade Devata Janaki, while being in the village, stood in the forefront in leading armed resistance movement of oppressed peasantry. That was her unique identity in the movement. Comrade Janaki was born in a padmasali (weaver) family as the last child among six sisters.
She was from Sambhunipalem of Kamalapuram mandal of Karimnagar district All her sisters got married. Her father had died and her mother was old. They had no property. Work as agricultural labourer was their only source of subsistence. The mother went for work and sent Janaki to study up to 7th standard. As she could not send her for furhter studies, Janaki had to become an agriculture laborer too. She worked equally with the men and so demanded equal pay for equal work along with male laborers. At that time she did not know anything about the law regarding equal payment. But her life motivated her to think in those terms.
The realities that the bourgeois education could not teach her, she could exact from the real life. So her life as a labourer led to revolutionary politics. Though her mother was anxiously intending to get her daughter married, Janaki resisted the very idea and took keen interest in the RYL activities of the village. She became a member of RYL in 1990. She was the first woman to join RYL there.She used to sing revolutionary songs in the villages around and whereever she went for work, thus inspiring people.
However late night it may be, she used to meet the squad regularly. Some times her mother opposed but she convinced her and went to meet the guerillas. She organized women laboureres and conducted a strike for increase in their wages. She followed the instructions and advice of the party in all organizational matters. She ran village people’s panchayats. She led the people in punishing the wrong doers in the village, especially those who are anti people and anti-party. In this process due to her militant activities, she became a member of village protection squad (militia). When the state engaged in fake encounters killing the peasants, she played a key role in kidnapping the police, at Kesavapuram (Elkaturti mandalam) on April 14, 1992.
When the police tried to escape she shot and wounded one. The enemy became restless and frightened. So the repression on comrade Janaki became more serious and severe. To hoodwink the enemy who is very much keen on finishing the woman comrade who challenged them, Janaki changed her name as Jyothi. She was moving through villages around, organizing the people secretely. She gave encouragement to the squad members and people and won their love and confidence.
She could inspire confidence in strangers too. Many times strangers also helped her, because of her sheer initiative. Janaki was taking protection in Mallannapalli (Veenavanka mandal) at the house of a sympathizer. On 17-5-92 on the information leaked by a traitor, half a dozen police raided the house at 5 p.m. They arrested Comrade Janaki, beat her brutally with lathis, pricked pins into her nails and tortured her for three hours continuously.
But they could not make her speak. Those brutes gang raped her and later shot her. Again the “story” of encounter was released. Her dead body was also not handed over to her mother. She was cremated by the police. Her death was terrible and glorious simultaneously. Her death unveils once again the cruelty of this system and the bravery of its opponents. Such great antagonist of this society was Comrade Janaki. Red salutes to her memory!

Comrade Borlam Swarupa
Comrade Swaroopa (Jyoti) became a leader of a guerilla squad overcoming all kinds of hindrances in this patriarchal society. In 1991, there were not many women commanders in the party and she was the first woman commander in North Telangana region. Naturally she had to vigorously train herself in both theory and practice to achieve this feat. More than that, her initiative was highly admirable. She has given inspiration to many budding woman comrades. In fact she had become a role model- “I should one day become a Jyotakka” was the aspiration in the hearts of many women comrades who joined the party then.
Comrade Swaroopa was born in a middle class family of Nallabelli (Darpelli Mandal, Nizamabad Dictrict). She was the only daughter of a RMP doctor. She was educated in Sirnapalli High school. The peasant struggles around that area, caught the imagination of this S.S.C. student. Her curiosity and enthusiasm made her a member of Radical Students Union. She actively participated in all the struggles concerning the student community. At a very early age her understanding of problems concerning the peasants and women was expanding. She arrived at the firm conviction that the liberation of peasants and women could ultimately result from the armed struggle.
So she started simultaneously participating in the Sangam activities as well as in women’s organization initiated by her. Enlightenment of women was part of her activities. In 1984 in Sirnapally area she worked in the agitation for the reduction of rates of arrack. In the same year the cane grower’s rally was organized. She did propaganda for that rally. When the police tried to disperse the gathering of the cane growers through lathi charge and other means, Swaroopa organized the women to stand as a protective wall between the charging police and the agitating cane growers. On February 1985, during the AIRSF 1st conference she was in the forefront in conducting a huge dharna in front of NTR’s residence and was arrested. Even while participating in so many activities, she pursued her education in women’s college in Nizamabad. During this time she raised revolutionary consciousness in the fellow students. The police were on the hunt for Swaroopa.
She shifted her activity from the town to rural area. She became a wholetimer. There was severe repression on the squads then. Yet, she came forward to work in the plains in a guerilla squad. According to the needs of the party, she went to Hyderabad, joined as a labourer in Ampro Biscuit Factory and continued to work as an organizer. Again she returned to rural area in 1990, and joined in Sirnapally squad as an active member. In a short time she became very popular with her squad as well as among the people. In July 1991 she became the Commander of her squad. Naturally her efforts in the growth of peasant struggle were much recognized by the people.
The repression became intensive. The police were hounding the Sirnapally squad to eliminate it. But Swaroopa went ahead by educating her squad members, resisting the police, and escaping the police ambushes with the cooperation of the people and became a darling of the peasants. When an ambush was executed at Ramadugu to retaliate the severe repression of S.P. Meena, Comrade Swaroopa showed all her mettle. The landlord clique felt threatened after this ambush. They wanted to finish off the ‘Sirnapally Squad’ at any cost. With this deastardly purpose, their search for the squad was made quick and wide. But only because of the informers they could locate the squad at Amrabad Tanda.
In the heavy police raid, Com. Pochanna died on the spot and Swaroopa was injured. She was caught with injuries near Madapuram in a jowar field. She was arrested on 5th February, 1992, tortured and killed. 7 years of her precious life were spent in the cause of revolution for the liberation of the peasants and women. Feudal domination and superstitions could not stop the indomitable Swaroopa. She was always with the people and she fell a victim to the police bullets for the cause of liberation of the people. Comrade Swaroopa’s revolutionary life inspires the qualities of sacrifice and nobleness in the comrades.

Comrade Chinnakka
Martyrdom : 04-03-1989
Born in a poor peasant family in village Dulapuram of Venkatapuram Tehsil in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh, Chinnakka was the first woman from the tribal community Koya (Dorla tribe) to join the guerrilla squad. In spite of labouring day and night in the fields, there was not enough to eat. So she worked along with her husband as a daily wage labourer. The non-tribal King residing in Wajed ruined the farmers of that region.
He took possession of all the land of the tribals in the name of repayment of debt illegally and the helpless farmers had to become labourers under the same exploiter to satiate their hunger. Seeing all this, the patience of Chinnakka reached its limit. Influenced with the struggles waged by the squad of People’s War Party in that area, Chinnakka became a member of the women’s organization in the village.
With the demand to raise the wages for the work of sowing, she mobilized all the women and led the struggle against the landlords of Wajed. She secretly provided food and water to the squads so that the landlords would not get any clue about the whereabouts of the squad. Influenced by revolutionary politics of the guerrillas, she joined the squad and chose to join her husband who had already devoted himself to the revolution.
According to the needs of the party, she was transferred to the Madded squad and left a deep impression in the hearts of the people of Bastar. Chinnakka contributed in mobilizing women in the struggles to put a stop to the plunder by the foresters and moneylenders and also to raise the wages for plucking tendu leaves. Chinnakka was expert in imbuing the women with revolutionary politics in their mother tongue through songs and dances. Due to illness, she went back home and began looking after her children. The police arrested and sent her to jail. After getting released on conditional bail from Venkatapuram sub-jail, she joined the squad and took oath not to leave the party till her last breath.
She once again became the member of Madded squad. The sarpanch of Sankanpalli village Dubba Kannayya was a leader of the Congress Party and he used to exploit the farmers with feudal traditions. The people of this area and the guerrilla squad gave warning to this enemy of the people. Then he started taking shelter in the police camp. Chinnakka participated in the annihilation of this class enemy and personally chopped off his head. People addressed Chinnakka as Rajakka. She used to compete with the male comrades to gain efficiency in military matters. At the age of 28, she trained hard with the aim of becoming a sniper.
When all the comrades in the squad got completely tired while walking continuously in the forests and climbing the mountains, she used to sacrifice her rest and prepared tea for all of them within minutes. She was always ahead in the routine works in the squad. Rajakka contributed in mobilizing the farmers in the struggle for raising the wages of labourers (for sowing) in the neighbouring villages of Madded. Along with the people she participated in seizing the grain from the godowns of landlords who had unleashed terror with the help of police. The land lords tried to sow a seed of discord in the struggle of people.
But, the conspiracies of the landlords were rendered useless. According to the needs of the Party, she went to work in the National Park squad and very soon developed close relations with the people. Rajakka went propagating from village to village mobilizing people on the demand of closure of the Indravathi Abhayaranya, which was set up for creating a sanctuary for bisons and lions by chasing away the people of Madiya Community who would be deprived of even the basic means of sustenance and would be rendered homeless. Rajakka was always ahead in taking up responsibilities. She became the rear guard of the squad.
On March 4th, 1989, the squad was in the jungle nearby Mukavelli and Rajakka was on sentry duty. Then the SAF soldiers attacked them from both the sides. Without showing any hesitation in defending the squad, Rajakka opened fire at the policemen attacking from the flank and foiled their attempts to attack the squad. But she got injured in the attack made from the flank and the policemen killed her by stabbing with bayonet. A Hawaldar was also injured in this attack. The news of martyrdom of Rajakka spread immense grief in the whole of Bastar. At many places people vented their fury by destroying government property. Rajakka left home and children, joined the revolution and proved that woman were not weak or inferior to males in fighting. The great martyr will always live in the hearts of the people.