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The year trouble broke out in Srikakulam was the same as that of Naxalbari. On 31 October 1967, at a place called Levidi in the Parvatipuram agency area of the Srikakulam district, situated on the north-eastern tip of Andhra Pradesh, two peasants were shot dead by the goons of a landlord. Spread over 300 square miles, the area is inhabited by the Savaras, who live on the hill slopes and are popularly known as Girijans—hill people. As is the case with most of the tribal communities, the life of the Girijans too revolved around the jungle. They would eat whatever grew in the forest and also grow some crops through the method of shifting cultivation. But over the years, the Girijans had been trapped by moneylenders and were now absolutely in their grip. It so happened that the newly-implemented national forest law had made it difficult for the tribal communities to sustain themselves through forest produce. The forest officials made life hell for them by not allowing them to even cut a branch from a tree. Since British times any transfer of land in tribal areas could happen between tribals only. But in independent India, the rich landlords and moneylenders, who had influence among the political class, had managed to fleece the poor tribals and usurp large tracts of their land.
In the '50s a few Communist teachers began working among the Savaras and the Jatapu tribals. Prominent among them was Vempatapu Satyanarayana, a charismatic leader. To get a foothold among the tribal community, he had married two tribal women—one each from the Savara and Jatapu tribes. Along with Adibatla Kailasam (the duo was popularly known as Satyam-Kailasam) the two formed the Girijan Sangam. On 31 October 1967, a group of Girijans was going to attend a conference called by Satyam-Kailasam to discuss their strategy in the wake of large-scale arrests of the tribals by the police. On their way, they were confronted by landlords at Levidi village. Two Girijans, Koranna and Manganna were killed in gunfire.
That is when events took a different turn in Srikakulam. Satyam and Kailasam decided to organise tribals into squads and undertake selected action against 'class enemies'. Armed with bows, arrows and spears and other traditional weapons, the squads attacked moneylenders and landlords, occupied their land forcibly and harvested it themselves. When the police arrived, they took the side of the landlords, further alienating the tribals. In fact, the role of the police follows a more or less similar pattern even decades later: in the 1984 Sikh pogrom, in communal riots in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and elsewhere.
But despite this, in Srikakulam, the guerillas managed to work out a better deal for the tribals. The landlords were coerced into increasing the wages of workers, and sharecroppers would now get a two-third share of the crop.
In 1968, all those accused of being involved in the murder of Koranna and Manganna were acquitted. This further strengthened the belief of the tribals that they should not expect anything from the State and that an armed struggle was the only way to make things work. Before this judgement, the guerilla leadership was not fully ready for armed struggle. A Srikakulam veteran later recalled how many police constables had initially offered them weapons like rifles to fight. But they wouldn't take them. So much so that when a guerilla seized a weapon from an American tourist who was exploring the area, he was reprimanded by the leadership.
But the killings of the two tribals and the support to the landlords by the police and subsequent acquittal of the accused changed all this. Also, around that time, Charu Mazumdar paid a secret visit to Srikakulam. He came visiting after an emissary was sent to him to seek his advice. Mazumdar's arrival in Srikakulam in March 1969 gave a fresh lease of life to the Srikakulam movement. He exhorted the revolutionaries to make Srikakulam the Yenan of India. He told them to pursue the policy of 'khatam' or annihilation to the fullest.
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After Mazumdar's visit, the Srikakulam revolution turned bloodier. Unlike Naxalbari, it was in Srikakulam that the rebel guerillas could manage to create liberated zones known as Red territory. Under the leadership of Satyam and Kailasam, the Girijans organised themselves into armed squads and undertook a number of class annihilation actions. Many bright students studying medicine and engineering in various universities of Andhra Pradesh joined the rebel movement. According to estimates, the guerillas had managed to 'liberate' more than 300 villages. Those who were killed were mostly landlords and moneylenders. Some of them were killed brutally, and in some cases the guerillas painted the walls of the house with the blood of the victim or wrote revolutionary slogans with it. Also, a number of policemen were killed in squad action.
In certain cases, the landlords or policemen found guilty of minor offences—which could be anything from harassing villagers or initial refusal to pay heed to the guerillas— were let off with a warning or after they paid a fine to the party. But when the police finally launched a major offensive against the Red rebels, they showed no such distinction. Most of the rebels who were caught were shot in cold blood. Panchadi Krishnamurthy, a young rebel leader, about 20 years old, was caught with a few other rebels by the police on 27 May 1969, taken to a forest area and shot dead. This trend continues even now. In various cases, the police have arrested top leaders of the CPI (Maoist) in urban areas, taken them to a jungle, and killed them. Those thus allegedly eliminated like this include Maoist leaders like Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, Patel Sudhakar Reddy, Sande Rajamouli and many others. Later, a statement would be issued that these leaders were killed in encounters with the police.
~~Hello Bastar: The Untold Story of India's Maoist Movement -by- Rahul Pandita
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