Senior Maoist couple surrenders before Ramagundam police

Senior Maoist leaders Athram Lachanna and his wife Chowdhury Ankubhai surrendered before Ramagundam police, ending decades in the extremist movement. Both were active in technical units and carried over 49 criminal cases. They cited government rehabilitation as their reason

Peddapalli: In another blow to the Maoist party, two senior leaders surrendered before the Ramagundam Commissionerate police on Tuesday. Athram Lachanna alias Gopanna alias Rajappa and his wife Chowdhury Ankubhai alias Anithakka alias Lakshmi surrendered before Commissioner of Police Ambar Kishore Jha.

While Lachanna was working as a Telangana State Committee Member of the Maoist party, Ankubhai was a North Bastar Division Committee Member, Chhattisgarh. Most of the time, the couple worked in the Maoist party’s technical team. Lachanna also served as in-charge of the Division Technical Team, North Bastar DVC, while Ankubhai was a member of the same technical team.

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A native of Parapelli in Kotapalli mandal of Mancherial district, Lachanna joined the then CPI (ML) People’s War in 1983 and initially worked as a member of the Chennur dalam. He was promoted as an Area Committee Member in 1988 and later served as Deputy Commander of the Sirpur Dalam. He married Chaudhary Ankubhai in 1989. In 1995, he was transferred to the technical department and sent to urban areas for party work.

In 2002, he was promoted as DCM and sent to DKSZC. In 2007, he was made in-charge of the Technical Department in North Bastar DVC. He was later promoted as SZC member and taken into the DK SZCM in 2023. Lachanna worked there until his surrender. There were 35 cases registered against him in various districts of Telangana.

With encouragement from her elder brother Chaudhary Chinnanna, Ankubhai joined the extremist party in 1988 and worked in the Sirpur Dalam. While working there, she married Lachanna, who was then Deputy Commander. In 1995, she was transferred to urban areas along with her husband.

She was promoted as ACM in the DK SZC technical team in 2002. In 2007, she was transferred to the North Bastar DVC technical team, where she continued until now. There were 14 cases registered against her in Komaram Bheem Asifabad district.

Producing the Maoist couple before the media, Commissioner Ambar Kishore Jha said that after learning about various forms of support extended by the state government and the police department, as well as the rehabilitation provided to surrendered Maoists, the couple decided to surrender and lead a peaceful life with their family members.