Sujatha's surrender another big setback for Maoists, say Chhattisgarh police

Raipur, Sep 13 (PTI) The surrender of Sujatha, a senior Maoist leader in Telangana, has dealt another major setback to the outlawed CPI (Maoist), which has already lost its general secretary and five other top operatives in encounters this year, a Chhattisgarh police official said on Saturday.

Sustained operations against Maoists have denied them space to regroup or expand, and forced even their top leaders to lose confidence in the outfit's future, he said, adding that they were left with no other option but to shun violence and become part of the mainstream.

Pothula Padmavati (62), a central committee member of the banned outfit and known by aliases Sujatha and Kalpana, surrendered before the police in the neighbouring state on Saturday.

The wife of late Maoist leader Mallojula Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji, Sujatha cited health reasons for quitting the CPI (Maoist) and willingness to join the mainstream in view of the government policies and support, the Telangana police said.

Sujatha, who had been underground for the last 43 years, had served in various positions, including in-charge of South Sub zonal Bureau of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC)- the strongest formation of Maoists that handles Maoist activities in south Chhattisgarh (Bastar region).

Terming her surrender as a significant development, Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj P, said it was the direct result of relentless and aggressive operations launched by the Bastar police in close coordination with Central Armed Police Forces, intelligence agencies and security units across interstate border areas.

"Sujatha's decision to surrender reflects the deep crisis of confidence that the Maoist ranks are facing in recent times," he said.

She was carrying a reward of Rs 40 lakh on her head in Chhattisgarh and was wanted in more than 72 cases registered across various districts in Bastar Range, he added.

The Bastar region comprises seven districts - Kanker, Kondgaon, Narayanpur, Bastar, Bijapur, Dantewada and Sukma.

The joint efforts by security forces have dealt major blows to Maoist formations and disrupted their command structure in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-affected regions, he added.

In recent months, the Maoists have suffered successive setbacks in the Bastar range and other LWE-affected districts of Chhattisgarh, including the neutralisation of senior leaders, large recoveries of weapons and explosives, and the dismantling of multiple hideouts in their erstwhile strongholds, he said.

These sustained operations have denied them space to regroup or expand, forcing even their top leadership to lose confidence in the outfit's future, he added.

Sundarraj appealed to all remaining cadres and leaders of the banned outfit to lay down arms, and join the mainstream so that a secure and prosperous future can be built for the people of Bastar and beyond.

Moreover, Maoist cadres and their leadership don't have any other option except to shun violence and join the mainstream, he added.

So far this year, 244 Naxalites have been killed in separate encounters in Chhattisgarh, the most notable being the killing of Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju (70), the general secretary and top most operative of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) and three central committee members Modem Balakrishna, Chalpathi and Gautam alias Sudhakar.

While a central committee member Prayag Manjhi alias Vivek was killed in Jharkhand, another CC member Uday alias Gajarla Ravi was eliminated in Andhra Pradesh this year, the police said.

After the elimination of the Maoists' general secretary and five CC members this year and the surrender of Sujatha, now 11 polit bureau and CC members (top operatives) are left in the banned outfit. Dreaded Maoist commander Madvi Hidma from Chhattisgarh is among the CC members, they said.

"After the death of Basavaraju, there is still no clarity on who has taken charge. Instead, a bitter power struggle rages among Devji, Sonu and other senior cadres, each desperate to grab the position and exploit the extortion money looted from innocent villagers," Sundarraj said.

Now, there are even reports of Madvi Hidma aspiring to become secretary of DKSZC. All this chaos only underlines one fact that the Maoist outfit is collapsing and inching towards extinction, he said.

"At this stage, it no longer matters who calls himself or herself General Secretary or Area Secretary. What matters is that, in line with the will of the people and the government's firm action plan, the police and security forces in Bastar are determined to wipe out this cruel group that has spilled the blood of hundreds of innocent villagers," he said.

Any Maoist cadre still dreaming of becoming a leader of this futile and absurd gang must be prepared to face ruthless consequences, he warned. PTI TKP NP