Top Maoist leader surrenders in Gadchiroli; Maha govt refuses confirmation

Top Naxal leader and CPI (Maoist) politburo member Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias “Sonu” alias “Bhupathi” reportedly surrendered in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra though no official statement was issued by the state government.

So far, only the Gadchiroli police made an informal statement to a section of the media about the reported surrender, but this is yet to be officially confirmed by the Maharashtra police or the home ministry, which is headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

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“Please wait for an official statement which will be issued in due course,” is all that a Maharashtra home ministry official said, without giving any details about its time or date.

However, according to the police, Mallojula Venugopal Rao (70) and the 60 Maoists who surrendered along with him in Gadchiroli are presently under police protection. They have been assured of their safety under the government’s surrender and rehabilitation scheme, the police stated.

Police sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the reason behind not issuing an official statement on the Maoist leader’s reported surrender could be because he is scheduled to “officially lay down arms and surrender” on Thursday in front of Fadnavis.

According to a police official who was formerly posted in Gadchiroli’s Anti-Naxal squad, CPI (Maoist) leader’s wife Vimala Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka had surrendered herself before Fadnavis in Gadchiroli along with 10 senior Maoists on January 1.

“It is likely that an official statement could be issued only after CPI (Maoist) politburo member Mallojula Venugopal Rao formally lays down arms before Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis himself on October 16. This was how Rao’s wife Vimala Chandra Sidam surrendered as well. Of course, Rao must be already in the police net,” the police official said.

It may be recalled that on January 1, Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao’s 62-year-old wife Vimala Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka, had formally surrendered in front of Maharashtra CM.

Vimala was inducted into the Maoist movement as a local squad member in 1986 and had risen up the ranks over 38 years to become a Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee member, participating in 35 encounters against security personnel.

At the time of surrender, Vimala had carried Rs 25-lakh reward on her head. She turned herself in before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Gadchiroli along with ten senior Maoists, on January 1, 2025.

Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal alias Bhupathi alias Sonu, who reportedly surrendered to the Gadchiroli police on Tuesday, was active in the Maoist insurgency for a long time and held posts in the Maoist party’s politburo, which is its highest policy making body, as well as the party’s central committee.

Reportedly, Venugopal surrendered to the Gadchiroli police along with 60 of his colleagues on the outskirts of the forest. Venugopal has a bounty of more than Rs 10 crore on his head in various states, the police said.

According to the police, “Bhupathi” is considered an influential strategist of the Maoist insurgent organisation. He used to work as a platoon guide on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border for several years.

However, differences had grown between him and the top leadership of the Maoist party in the last few months. In various recent statements, Venugopal had admitted that the armed struggle had failed and appealed for a ceasefire.

In these statements, Venugopal Rao had stated that since the mass following of the Maoist party had declined and hundreds of Maoists had died in police encounters, dialogue was the only option left.

Yet, Venugopal Rao’s stance was opposed by some Maoist leaders who took the stand that the armed struggle must continue under the leadership of the Maoist party’s general secretary Thippari Tirupati alias “Devuji”. Later, the Maoist party central committee exerted pressure on Venugopal and ordered him to lay down his arms.

After this development, Venugopal announced that he had resigned from the party and finally surrendered to the Gadchiroli police along with 50 of his Maoist colleagues, police sources said.

According to the police, the surrender policy of the Maharashtra government has weakened the Maoist party. In the last two decades, more than 700 Maoists surrendered in Gadchiroli district, which has been a hotbed of Maoism, and the surrender of a senior Maoist leader like Rao is expected to weaken the Maoist party further.

Police sources stated that the future of the 50-year-old Maoist insurgency is extremely bleak and even remaining Maoists yet to surrender will be neutralised soon.