Only 17 Maoists from Telangana remain underground, says TG DGP Shivadhar Reddy
HYDERABAD: The starkest revelations emerge from surrendered leaders and police assessments. The Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) B. Shivadhar Reddy announced that the actual number of active, underground Maoist cadres from Telangana is now about 17.
This number stands in stark contrast to the government’s previous estimate of 52, a gap blamed on outdated records. The revelation came amid the high-profile surrender of 18 cadres on Saturday, including top commanders Barse Sukka (alias Deva) and Kankanala Rajareddy (alias Venkatesh). Their decision to lay down arms, along with 48 advanced weapons, is being hailed as a turning point.
Kankanala Rajareddy’s surrender has struck a crippling blow to the party’s leadership in Telangana. DGP Shivadhar Reddy explained that many of the 35 names missing from earlier lists have either left the party or died elsewhere, leaving the active cadre at a bare minimum. The remaining 17 are a mix of senior and mid-level operatives: four Central Committee members, five State Committee members, three divisional Committee members, four area Committee members, and one other member.
Trend of collapse
This collapse is part of a larger trend over the past two years. Since 2024, a total of 576 Maoist cadres from various ranks have surrendered in Telangana. This includes two Central Committee members, several State Committee members, and over 20 Divisional Committee members. They have brought 144 weapons with them.
Official figures reveal a dramatic erosion of Maoist strength in Telangana. In 2023, 125 native cadres operated underground. By 2024, that number dropped to 99. In 2025, it was slashed to 55. Now, in 2026, only 17 remain.
The surrendered cadres stated their decision was driven by the CPI (Maoist) leadership deploying them to unfamiliar and distant areas without consent, often to regions where they lacked basic geographical knowledge and local support. This led to serious mobility constraints and logistical difficulties, including shortages of essential necessities. These conditions caused frustration and hardship, compelling many to leave the CPI (Maoist) and return to mainstream society.
DGP said, “Sustained pressure from security forces and non-cooperation & dilution of their logistic networks resulting in restricted mobility and operational setbacks. Ideological divergence and disillusionment, arising from the growing gap between ideological rhetoric and ground realities. Internal rifts, factionalism, and leadership disputes within various formations of the CPI (Maoist). Harsh living conditions, deteriorating health, and prolonged separation from families of the soil of origin”.
