Top Maoist Hidma’s contemporary, PLGA commander Deva likely to surrender to Telangana police

Maoist PLGA commander Barse Deva, successor to Madivi Hidma, is reportedly set to surrender to Telangana police, marking a significant blow to the Maoist party's operations, with 19 cadres expected to follow

Kothagudem: The CPI (Maoist) party reeling from the Centre’s Operation Kagar, is likely to suffer yet another setback with reports on the possible surrender of People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) top commander, Barse Deva to Telangana police.

According to sources, Deva is expected to surrender before Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) B Shivadhar Reddy in Hyderabad on Saturday. Deva replaced the PLGA first battalion commander Madivi Hidma after his encounter in Maredumilli forests in AP last year.

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Thus Deva emerged as one of the key figures in the Maoist party actively working along with party chief Tippiri Tirupathi alias Devji and Telangana party secretary Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar, currently.

He is a contemporary of Hidma and only a week younger than Hidma. Both Deva and Hidma belong to Puvarthi village in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh and joined the Maoist party at almost the same time. They both played a key role in the party’s battalion activities.

It is being said that along with Deva, 19 other Maoist cadres would also surrender to police. With his surrender the activities of the PLGA, which served as the backbone of the Maoist party’s Central Military Commission (CMC), seems to have come to an end. While Hidma’s death was considered a major blow to the PLGA, Deva’s surrender is seen as its collapse.

It might be recalled that the PLGA, was first formed as People’s Guerrilla Army (PGA) by People’s War Group marking the first death anniversary of its top leaders Nalla Adi Reddy alias Shyam, Yerramreddy Santhosh Reddy alias Mahesh and Seelam Naresh, killed in the Koyyur encounter in Karimnagar district on December 2, 1999.

On September 21, 2004, the People’s War Group merged with the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) to form the CPI (Maoist) party. Subsequently, the PGA became the PLGA. With eight battalions and 13 platoons, comprising nearly 10,000 to 12, 000 members in the past it conducted large-scale operations for the Maoist party.

Meanwhile, rumours are being spread on social media for the past couple of days stating Deva along with 15 other armed cadres were caught by police in the forests of the Telangana region bordering Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra following a tip off about his movements.