S Chandrasekhar Reddy, IGP, Multi-Zone-I, addressing the media in Kothagudem on Saturday.
Kothagudem: In what the Kothagudem police is calling a major achievement, as many as 203 cadres of CPI (Maoist) party have surrendered till date in 2025 as part of ‘Operation Cheyutha’.
Speaking to the media, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Multi-Zone-I, S Chandrasekhar Reddy said that in all, 224 Maoists of different ranks surrendered in Telangana this year, 21 of them surrendered in Mulugu. As on date, 95 Maoists from Telangana were still working underground, he said.
The IGP was here along with Superintendent of Police B Rohith Raju and Mulugu ASP Shivam Upadhyay to oversee the surrender of a record number of 81 Maoist cadres before the Kothagudem police and five cadres before Mulugu police.
It was said to be first such instance in Telangana wherein such a large number of Maoists surrendered before police at a time.
Of the surrendered Maoists, four were area committee members (ACMs), five party members, eight Revolutionary People’s Committee (RPC) members, 27 RPC militia members, 20 RPC Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (DAKMS)/KMS members, 13 RPC Chaitanya Natya Mandali (CNM) members and nine RPC grama rakshaka dalam (GRD) members. They were all from various parts of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh.
Chandrasekhar Reddy said that the surrendered Maoists were vexed with the outdated ideology of the party and wanted to join mainstream life to live peacefully. The police would extend required livelihood support to the surrendered naxals, he said.
The surrendered ACM cadres were given immediate financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh, party members Rs 1 lakh and others Rs 25,000, the IGP said while appealing to the underground Maoist cadres to give up violence and surrender to live a normal life.
It might be noted that on March 15, as many as 64 Maoists – 48 male and 16 female – from various border villages in Sukma and Bijapur districts of Chhattisgarh surrendered in Kothagudem. CRPF 141 Bn second in commandant Kamal Veer and Preetha, 81 Bn second in commandant Himanshu and probationary IPS Ruthvik Sai Kotte were present.