Why latest surrender in Telangana could mark ‘end of Maoist movement in Chattisgarh’
Top commander of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion 1, Barsa Deva, is set to surrender before the Telangana police chief
Written by Sreenivas Janyala
Hyderabad | January 3, 2026 08:30 AM IST
3 min read
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The Telangana DGP appealed to the remaining Maoist leaders to surrender and opt for rehabilitation. He said that Telangana’s surrender policy has been implemented in other states, too.
Several Maoists, including Barsa Deva alias Barsa Sukka, a top commander of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion 1, will surrender before Telangana police chief B Shivadhar Reddy on Saturday.
“This is the end of the Maoist story in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, which is the home of Madvi Hidma (a key Maoist commander who was killed in an encounter last year) and his dreaded lieutenant, Barsa Deva… Deva’s surrender is also the end of the Maoist movement in Chattisgarh,” Telangana DGP B Shivadhar Reddy told The Indian Express.
Deva will surrender along with his security team, as well as 18 cadres. “After Barsa Deva came under the sights of security forces, which included my Telangana anti-Maoist agencies, he agreed to surrender before me on Saturday,” the DGP said.
He explained that after the death of Hidma and the surrender of Deva, “there is no one else to carry forward violent Maoist activities”.
Deva’s surrender comes after Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma met the families and mothers of both Hidma and Deva, and appealed to Deva to give himself up. Sharma said that Hidma did not heed to calls for him to surrender, leading to his killing.
Hidma and Deva are from the same village, Puvarti. Deva, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and an important leader in the banned CPI (Maoists), is one of the most wanted Maoist commanders and is accused of being involved in several attacks on security forces, as well as the ambush on Congress leaders in May 2013 in Sukma district.
He carried a reward of over Rs 50 lakh.
Deva’s surrender will further weaken the Maoist movement, which has been significantly weakened last year with a spate of surrenders and encounter killings. Hidma was killed in an encounter in the Maredumilli forest in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district of Andhra Pradesh.
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The Telangana DGP appealed to the remaining Maoist leaders to surrender and opt for rehabilitation. He said that Telangana’s surrender policy has been implemented in other states, too.
With Deva’s surrender, very few top Maoist leaders remain underground. Senior Maoist leader Thippiri Tirupathi, alias Devuji, who is originally from Telangana and is the general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), is on the run, with security forces in Chattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh trying to locate him.
Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political and economic landscape of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. With a career spanning over two decades in mainstream journalism, he provides deep-dive analysis and frontline reporting on the intricate dynamics of South Indian governance.
Expertise and Experience
Regional Specialization: Based in Hyderabad, Sreenivas has spent more than 20 years documenting the evolution of the Telugu-speaking states. His reporting was foundational during the historic Telangana statehood movement and continues to track the post-bifurcation development of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Key Coverage Beats: His extensive portfolio covers a vast spectrum of critical issues:
High-Stakes Politics: Comprehensive tracking of regional powerhouses (BRS, TDP, YSRCP, and Congress), electoral shifts, and the political careers of figures like K. Chandrashekar Rao, Chandrababu Naidu, and Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Internal Security & Conflict: Authoritative reporting on Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the decline of the Maoist movement in former hotbeds, and intelligence-led investigations into regional security modules.
Governance & Infrastructure: Detailed analysis of massive irrigation projects (like Kaleshwaram and Polavaram), capital city developments (Amaravati), and the implementation of state welfare schemes.
Crisis & Health Reporting: Led the publication's ground-level coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic in South India and major industrial incidents, such as the Vizag gas leak.
Analytical Depth: Beyond daily news, Sreenivas is known for his "Explained" pieces that demystify complex regional disputes, such as river water sharing and judicial allocations between the sister states. ... Read More
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