HYDERABAD/KARIMNAGAR: For the police, the arrest of top Maoist leader Sadanala Ramakrishna might be a ‘prize catch’, but it has dealt a big blow to the party. Though he remained an enemy to the police, he endeared himself with the people of his native in Karimnagar district as one responsible for laying a water pipeline and getting road connectivity to the village.Eight kilometres away from Husnabad mandal, the sleepy village of Anthakkapeta woke up to the news of Ramakrishna’s arrest on Thursday evening. Having maintained a low-profile in the village and also in the Maoist circles, Ramakrishna is well-known among the village elders as one of the ‘intelligent’ person. “He had a brief stint in the panchayat raj department as an engineer. He was instrumental in constructing a water tank and laying a pipeline for water supply in the village,’’ recalled an elderly villager. Ramakrishna’s efforts also ensured that the village is connected to the nearby Husnabad in the 1980s. ``Though it was not a BT road, a kaccha road was designed and laid by him,’’ a villager said.Born as the eldest son of Venkataiah and Ramakka, Ramakrishna completed his studies at Husnabad, Karimnagar and Warangal. Ramakrishna’s younger brother, Rammohan, runs a small business in the village. His three sisters were married.Right from his young age, he was an active member of the Radical Students Union and worked in the student organisation from 1956 to 1972. He was a B Tech (mechanical) graduate from Regional Engineering College, Warangal and later completed his M Tech from Osmania University in 1982.Even after completing his studies, he took active part in strengthening the RSU for about two years.Ramakrishna initially worked in a private company at Paloncha in Khammam district and later secured a job in BHEL, Hyderabad. Ramakrishna later joined the panchayat raj department. Ramakrishna’s stint in the job was for a brief period and he went underground in 1986. According to villagers, Ramakrishna drew inspiration from Kondapalli Seetaramaiah, a front runner of the naxal movement and also met him when they were lodged in the Warangal prison.Revolutionary Writers Association member Varavara Rao said he rarely had a chance to meet Ramakrishna. “He is a technical person,’’ Rao said and added that Ramakrishna’s arrest was a loss to the party. He is the man responsible for procuring raw material and spare parts and all material necessary for making firearms to the Maoists.Not a single case has been registered against him in the district though he is contemporary to leaders like Ganapathi, Late Kishanji and Azad.Senior police officials, however, see the arrest as a big blow to the Left-wing party. “With the fight against Maoists intensifying and forces getting sophisticated machinery and weapons to track and gun down the cadres, the supply and production of arms to the Maoists might be hit hard with the arrest of the key man,’’ a top police officer said.
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