Telangana: Senior Maoist leaders surrender before police after decades underground

Hyderabad, Oct 28 (PTI) Two senior leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist)—one of them a Central Committee Member (CCM) who had been underground for more than four decades—surrendered before the police on Tuesday.

Telangana Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy told reporters here that P Prasad Rao (64), alias Chandranna—a Central Committee Member who had been underground for 45 years—and Bandi Prakash, alias Prabhath of the Telangana State Committee, who had been underground for 42 years, have left the CPI (Maoist) and joined the mainstream.

Prasad, a native of Peddapally district, joined the Radical Students Union in 1979 while pursuing his intermediate education.

Prakash, from Mancherial district, joined the Radical Youth League of the CPI (ML) People's War in 1983. He was most recently in charge of the Telangana State Committee Press Team and issued press statements under the name Prabhath, police said.

Their surrender follows Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's October 21 appeal to CPI (Maoist) members to give up arms, join the mainstream, and participate in the state's development and welfare initiatives, the DGP said.

The two leaders cited deteriorating health, sustained pressure from security forces, ideological differences, and internal rifts within the CPI (Maoist) leadership as reasons for quitting the organisation, police said.

"The return of two senior-most Maoist leaders to the mainstream is a moral victory for the holistic and comprehensive policy adopted by the Telangana Police against the CPI (Maoist)," DGP Reddy said.

So far this year, 427 underground cadres, including two Central Committee Members and eight State Committee Members, have surrendered before the Telangana Police, he said.

"This marks a significant victory for the Telangana Police in their efforts against the CPI (Maoist)," Reddy added.

As of now, 64 underground cadres of the CPI (Maoist) are natives of Telangana—nine of them are part of the Telangana State Committee, while the rest are operating in other states, including Chhattisgarh, the DGP said.

He added that five of the CPI (Maoist)'s nine Central Committee Members hail from Telangana.

Prasad carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh, and Prakash Rs 20 lakh. The amounts were handed over to them through demand drafts, and they will receive additional benefits under the Telangana government's rehabilitation policy for surrendered cadres.

Reddy once again appealed to all underground Maoist cadres from Telangana to return to their native villages, reunite with their families, and reintegrate into society.

He urged them to "contribute to the progress and development of Telangana through constructive participation." The DGP assured that all underground CPI (Maoist) cadres who choose to surrender will receive full support, protection, and assistance under the Telangana government's comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration programme, enabling them to rebuild their lives in a peaceful, dignified, and meaningful manner. PTI VVK SSK