Two Maoist leaders surrender before Telangana DGP

Hyderabad, Oct 28 (IANS) In yet another blow to the CPI (Maoist), two senior leaders on Tuesday surrendered before the Telangana Police.

Central Committee Member (CCM) Pulluri Prasad Rao alias Chandranna and State Committee Member (SCM) Bandi Prakash alias Prabhath of Telangana State Committee surrendered before Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy here.

Chandranna has been underground for 45 years while Bandi Prakash has been hiding for 42 years.

The DGP said in response to the appeal made by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to the CPI (Maoist) members to come out of the organisation, join the mainstream, and participate in the development and welfare activities of the State and its people, both the senior leaders of the party have joined the mainstream of life.

Deteriorating health, sustained pressure from security forces, ideological divergences, and internal rifts within the leadership and various formations of the CPI (Maoist) were cited as the other reasons for surrender.

Chandranna and Prabhath were carrying cash reward of Rs 25 lakh and Rs 20 lakh, respectively. The DGP handed over demand drafts of the same amount to them for their rehabilitation. They will also receive further benefits in accordance with the Telangana government’s rehabilitation policy for surrendered cadres.

The DGP termed their surrender a moral victory for the holistic and comprehensive policy adopted by the Telangana Police against the CPI (Maoist).

He said their decision also reflects the growing ideological differences and internal conflicts within the leadership, committees, and various formations of the CPI (Maoist).

A total of 427 underground cadres including two Central Committee Members (CCMs), eight State Committee Members (SCMs), two Divisional Committee Secretaries (DVCS), eight Divisional Committee Members (DVCMs), and 35 Area Committee Members (ACMs) surrendered before Telangana Police in 2025 alone.

The police chief also revealed that a total of 64 underground cadres of the CPI (Maoist) are native of Telangana State. Of these, only three SCMs, two DVCS/DVCM and four ACS/ACM are presently working in Telangana State Committee, while the remaining are operating in other states, including Chhattisgarh.

Out of the nine CCMs of the CPI (Maoist), five are native of Telangana State.

Chandranna, 64, a native of Vadkapur village in Peddapally district, has been guiding Telangana State Committee (TSC) of the CPI (Maoist).

Son of a government teacher, Chandranna joined Radical Students Union (RSU) while studying intermediate. After completing Intermediate in 1980, he worked as a courier for Mallojula Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji, who was then serving as the Karimnagar District Committee Secretary of the CPI (ML) KS Group. He later joined the CPI (ML) People’s War as a dalam member in the Asifabad dalam of Adilabad district.

Chandranna worked as Central Committee Member for more than 17 years. He married Kursangi Mothibai , a Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) of the CPI (Maoist) in 1989. In June 2013, Radhakka was arrested in the Palvoncha area of Bhadradri Kothagudem district and was released from prison in 2015.

Prabhath, 55, a native of Mandamarri village and mandal, Mancherial district, is a school dropout who joined the Radical Youth League (RYL) of the CPI (ML) People’s War in 1983.

In 1984, he joined the Sirpur armed Dalam, led by Chandranna. After approximately six months, he left the Dalam and returned to his native place.

Arrested for the murder of a CPI leader in 1985, Prabhath escaped from Adilabad sub-jail in 1988 and again went underground. However, a few months he left the armed Dalam due to differences with the leader and started working as a mason in Hyderabad. In 1992 he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in the murder case. After being released from jail in 2004 on mercy grounds, he again joined the party.

--IANS

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