Top Maoist Mallojula Venugopal Rao’s first public appearance after over three decades
HYDERABAD: In a major blow to Maoist operations, 61 high-ranking Naxalites surrendered to Maharashtra police. The group includes members of the banned CPI (Maoist) Central Committee, senior zone commanders, and armed squad leaders, marking a notable shift in leadership.
The Maharashtra police released a ‘Naxal Surrender List’ that includes the names, aliases, roles, and weapons given up by those who surrendered. Most of them were responsible for the Gadchiroli division in Maharashtra, the Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, and the Telangana zone.
Top leadership surrendered
Mallojula Venugopal Rao (also known as Bhupati or Sonu), a 69-year-old member of the Maoist Central Committee from Peddapalli, Telangana, is the most senior leader to surrender. His departure represents a significant ideological and strategic loss for the group.
In addition to that, Two District Committee Secretarial Zone members also surrendered including Salakula Saroja (also known as Latha or Deepa) from Mancherial, Telangana, and Irri Mohan Reddy (also known as Vivek or Bhaskar) from Nirmal, Telangana. Saroja, who carried an Insas rifle, had rejoined the movement after her release from jail in 2009.
Heavy Firepower Recovered
Furthermore, the list outlines the weapons that the cadres surrendered. Ten Divisional Committee Members and six Assistant Commanders turned in automatic rifles, including AK-47s, Insas rifles, SLRs, .303 rifles, 12-bore shotguns, and a BGL “Surka” rocket.
The breakdown by rank highlights the extent of the disengagement: one Central Committee Member, twelve Senior Zone and Divisional Commanders, six Assistant Commanders, sixteen Platoon or Party Commanders, and 25 Party Members. In total, 61 personnel surrendered.
