Telangana: 86 Maoists surrender as police’s operation outreach yield desired result

In a significant blow to the Communist Party of India (Maoist), 86 Maoist cadres, including 20 women, surrendered before Multi-Zone 1 Inspector General of Police (IGP) S Chandrasekhar Reddy at the district police headquarters in Bhadradri-Kothagudem, on April 5. The surrender marks the second major such development in Telangana this year, following the surrender of 64 Maoists in the same district last month.

మావోయిస్టులను జనజీవన స్రవంతిలోకి చేర్చేందుకు పోలీసుశాఖ చేస్తున్న ప్రయత్నాలు సత్ఫలితాలను ఇస్తున్నాయి. ఆపరేషన్ చేయూతలో భాగంగా భద్రాద్రి కొత్తగూడెం జిల్లాలో 86 మంది మావోయిస్టులు మల్టీజోన్ -1 ఐజీ చంద్రశేఖర్ రెడ్డి గారి ఎదుట లొంగిపోయారు. #TelanganaPolice pic.twitter.com/OqeH3ukReY

— Telangana Police (@TelanganaCOPs) April 5, 2025

Of the 86 individuals who laid down arms, 82 are from Bhadradri-Kothagudem district and four hail from the neighboring Mulugu district. The surrendered cadres had been operating in the Maoist stronghold of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh.

The group includes four Area Committee Members (ACMs), four Maoist party members, a militia commander, 27 militia members, eight committee members, 20 members of Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (DAKMS) or KAMS, 13 Chetna Natya Mandali (CNM) members, and nine Grama Rakshaka Dalams (GRDs).

IGP S Chandrasekhar Reddy said the Maoists were disillusioned with the party’s ideology and demoralized due to constant harassment by senior leaders and relentless pressure to extort money from villagers. “They had had enough and expressed a strong desire to return to mainstream society,” he stated.

Reddy revealed that 95 Maoists from Telangana are still active in different cadres of the CPI (Maoist), but he expressed hope for further surrenders. “We will initiate peace talks with them, following the directives of the state and central governments,” he added.

As part of the state’s rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy, the IGP announced financial assistance: Rs 5 lakh for ACMs, Rs 1 lakh for party members, and Rs 25,000 for other surrendered cadres. He assured that all eligible benefits under the R&R package would be provided to the former Maoists.

The IGP commended the efforts of the Bhadradri-Kothagudem police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for facilitating the large-scale surrender.