Status: Not ApprovedHEAD: 24_Hyd_M_SurrenderByline: Mahesh BuddiTop Maoist leaders including Devji surrenderHyderabad: Maoist party top gun, Tippiri Tirupati alias Devji, along with three other senior cadres, surrendered before Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) B Shivadhar Reddy on Tuesday at the Hyderabad police’s Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC).After the surrender, Devji said he would continue political struggle by working for people within legal framework, and cited deteriorating health as the reason for coming overground. “Due to health reasons I decided to leave underground life and join mainstream. It is not for personal convenience. I will continue to work towards addressing people’s problems within legal framework,” Devji said while also reiterating, “I will continue political life of struggle, using my ideology and what I believed for decades.“Devji refused to take any questions from media, saying that detailed interviews would be given later and short answers to questions at this juncture might be misunderstood.Tirupati, 62, is a native of Korutla in Jagtial district of Telangana. His father Venkata Narsaiah was a farmer. Tirupati first became attracted to revolutionary politics when he was a student of Intermediate in govt junior college, Korutla, and joined Radical Students Union (RSU). Before joining CPI (ML) People’s War Group (PWG) in January 1982, he worked as President of RSU, Karimnagar district.In his 34 years as a member of banned leftwing extremist outfits, Tirupati alias Devji held several key positions, including the party’s member of Central Committee (CC), Central Military Commission (CMC) and the Polit Bureau. He also acted as the official spokesperson of the Maoist party under the name Abhay. After the surrender, DGP B Shivdhar Reddy said that Devji is not the General Secretary of Maoists and currently no one is leading the banned outfit which is directionless. “We spoke to the surrendered leaders including and they clarified that since Central Committee Meeting could not take place, General Secretary has not been elected. Devji might have become their General Secretary if the meeting had taken place but as of now he is not their General Secretary,” the DGP said.Another top leader who surrendered, Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, a 76-year-old central committee member from Shastrulapalle village in Peddapally district, also spoke on similar lines but indicated that he might not be interested in mainstream politics. “Don’t want to go into parliamentary system. I want to work for people within legal framework,” Raji Reddy said. The veteran Maoist leader also said Maoism would do well in future. “Maoism will not end. It will keep developing,” Reddy said.Raji Reddy joined RSU in 1974 and became a CC member in 1990. He is currently in-charge of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC).The third senior leader who surrendered, Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar, 47, is a native of Kalvapalli in Mulugu district. He is the Maoist party’s Secretary for Telangana State Committee (TSC). Damodar joined RSU in 1996 while he was in Class 10 and two years later joined CPI (ML) PWG. In 2015 he became a TSC member and in 2019 he was made in-charge of Military Affairs of TSC.Another surrendered TSC member, Nune Narasimha Reddy alias Ganganna, 62, is a native of Valluru in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh. Narasimha Reddy joined RSU while pursuing LLB in 1987. Over the years, he worked in Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) and as a political advisor to People’s Liberation Gurella Army (PLGA) Ist battallion in DKSZC area. In 2025 he was transferred to TSC.After their surrender, the DGP handed over Rs 25 lakh cheque each to the two CC members, Devji and Sangram. He gave Rs 20 lakh cheque each to Damodar and Ganganna.According to DGP, Maoist movement in Telangana is now non-existent. Since 2024, 591 Maoists surrendered in Telangana, including four CC members and 16 SC members, and 142 firearms were seized. “Currently only 11 Telangana natives are in the Maoist party’s Under Ground (UG) cadre including Muppala Laxmana Rao alias Ganapathy and only one of them is active. We appeal to all of them to surrender. Currently the Maoist movement in the state is non-existent,” the DGP said.The DGP also said that senior Maoist leader Muppala Laxmana Rao alias Ganapathy, who has been in-active for a long time now, is suspected to be in some urban area of the country, and the state police will work towards his surrender. MSID:: 128754547 413 |
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