‘If he is in police custody, I want to know,’ brother of top Maoist leader

Gangadhar, who is eight years younger than Devuji and says he hasn’t seen or heard from his brother in four decades, moved the High Court after Hidma was killed, and believes Devuji is in Andhra Police custody. “Everything that has happened since the encounter of Hidma on November 18 indicates that my brother Devuji was also picked up. Hidma was with his protection team and was killed. In Vijayawada, police issued a statement that nine members of Devuji’s protection team had been arrested. If Hidma was travelling with his protection team, Devuji would have also been. The question is, where is Devuji?”

Dismissing the habeas corpus petition filed by Gangadhar and by Snehlatha Reddy, the daughter of top Maoist leader Malla Raji Reddy, a Division Bench ruled Friday that there was no prima facie evidence to indicate they were in police custody, and that the material shown to the court gave no such indication either. The impression among security forces is that Raji Reddy died of illness early this year, but in her petition, Snehlatha said she believed he was alive and could be in custody of police along with Devuji.

In its order, the High Court noted that senior police officers had also categorically denied that the two leaders were in their custody, adding that the petitioners could approach the High Court again if they had strong evidence.

Appearing on behalf of the state government, Special Government Pleader T Vishnuteja told the court that all the 50 arrested Maoists had been produced before various courts by it, and there was no one else in custody.

Gangadhar, who lives in Korutla town of Jagtial district of Telangana, did not go to Amaravati himself to file the petition and moved it through advocates Gutta Rohith, D Suresh Kumar and U D Jai Bhima Rao. Their main contention was a statement by Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Laddha at a media conference that several Maoists, including nine members of the protection team of Devuji, were arrested by police from Vijayawada and nearby areas.

Laddha admits he said members of Devuji’s protection team were in police custody, but denies arresting the Maoist leader.

Gangadhar says he moved the habeas corpus a day after Hidma was killed as he didn’t want to lose any time and to ensure that no “harm” came to his brother. When there was another encounter the next morning, in which seven Maoist were killed, his belief was strengthened, Gangadhar says.

Devuji is the second eldest among his siblings, says Gangadhar. While one of the sisters lives in Hyderabad, the fourth sibling, Venkatanna, died a few years ago. Their parents also passed away around the same time. “I live with my family in Korutla, at the same place where we were all born,’’ Gangadhar says.

He barely remembers Devuji before he joined the Maoist movement. Later he would hear that before Devuji left home at the age of 18-19, he had “a difficult stint” as a student leader. “He completed his Intermediate from a school in Korutla. He was active in student politics, especially the Radical Students’ Union (RSU). He joined the SSR Degree College at Karimnagar and was the student union president. The ABVP was just gaining momentum in Karimangar and there were always clashes between the RSU and ABVP. Tirupati (Devuji) got into trouble with police several times over fights with ABVP student leaders. Police made Tirupati a target repeatedly and he quit student politics. Just before completing his first year, he quietly left home one day.”

Gangadhar says the family never saw him again. “My parents passed away waiting to hear or see him one last time. It has been 42 years, we have had no contact with him or seen him. That is why if he is in police custody, I would like to know.”