Senior CPI (Maoist) leader surrenders before police in Telangana

Hyderabad, Oct 7 (PTI) A senior functionary of the banned CPI (Maoist) Party surrendered before police in Warangal district of Telangana on Tuesday.

Manda Ruben alias Kannanna (67), who served as Division Committee Secretary of the South Bastar Division and was a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, surrendered before Warangal Police Commissioner Sunpreet Singh.

He carried a cash reward of Rs 8 lakh.

A native of Vangapadu village, Hanamkonda district, Ruben expressed his desire to lead a peaceful life with his family under the Telangana government’s Rehabilitation and Resettlement Programme, the commissioner said.

Ruben was drawn to radical ideology in 1979 while working in the hostel mess of REC (now NIT Warangal). Influenced by then CPI (Maoist) General Secretary and former REC student Nambala Keshav Rao, he joined the banned organisation and went underground, a press release said.

From 1981 to 1986, he served as a member of the Kunta-Bastar squad under Lankapapireddy’s command. In 1987, he was elevated to Area Committee Member. In 1991, he was arrested by Chhattisgarh police at Kothagudem and imprisoned in Jagdalpur Jail. A year later, he escaped along with three others and rejoined Maoist activities.

Later, while serving as a Division Committee Member in 2005, Ruben became inactive due to ill health and stayed with his family in Gundraayi village, the release said.

Though managing poultry and sheep farms, he continued to provide shelter, food, and intelligence to Maoist cadres, it added.

He was allegedly involved in offences including killing of security personnel, seizing their weapons, and attack on police station along with other cadre of the Maoists, police said.

Citing deteriorating health, lack of physical strength to continue underground life, waning ideological relevance of Maoism, and increasing public resentment against Maoist violence, Ruben decided to surrender, police added. PTI VVK VVK ROH