Maoist movement is headless, leaderless and rudderless in Telangana: DGP

Telangana DGP B Shivdhar Reddy said that the “Maoist movement now is headless, leaderless and rudderless” following the surrender of senior leadership.

He said only 11 members from Telangana are active among Maoists, and only one among them was in the action group. He said the structure appears fragmented and weakened, but sustained security operations and increasing surrenders have significantly eroded its organisational strength.

On senior leader Muppala Laxman Rao alias Ganapathi’s position, he said the leader is not in the forests but in some urban area, and the efforts to track him will continue. He said since the formation of Telangana, 5,865 Maoist cadres have surrendered in the State alone. These include members from the top leadership to the lowest-level committees. “This clearly shows that the number of those who chose rehabilitation far exceeds those who died in encounters. The policy has emerged as a major attraction,” he said.

The DGP said all the promises made by the government are being implemented to the extent possible. Those cadres who genuinely wish to surrender and are eligible for rehabilitation are being supported in multiple ways, through allocation of land, financial assistance, and access to education.

On pending criminal cases, the DGP said the government would adopt a sympathetic approach in accordance with the law. “The intention is not to harass those who have chosen the path of peace. Cases will be dealt with legally and humanely,” he said.

On whether certain conditions in parts of Telangana could still give rise to Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), he said that while security forces have largely cleared affected areas of violent incidents, long-term stability depends on governance and development.