In a blow to the Maoists, a top Naxal leader, who was also CPI (Maoists) central committee member and its spokesperson, was among two ultras killed in an encounter with the Andhra Pradesh police in this district today.
 
Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad was killed in an encounter in the forest area at Vankhidi, police said. He was said to be in 50s.
 
Acting on information that some Maoists were coming to Andhra Pradesh from Maharashtra, a police team launched a search operation in Vankhidi area last night when they came across the ultras at around 11pm, they said.
 
The Maoists fired at the police, which retaliated, and an exchange of fire continued till 2am, they said, adding two bodies were recovered.
 
Surrendered Maoists have identified one of the two killed as Azad, police said, adding that the other body was yet to be identified.
 
Meanwhile, Maoist sympathiser and revolutionary poet Varavara Rao said that he along with Azad's mother would file a petition in the high court seeking that the body be allowed to be taken to Hyderabad.
 
"Azad belonged to Krishna district and did his MTech before joining the Naxal movement in the 1970s," Rao said.