4 min readFeb 23, 2026 12:04 PM IST
First published on: Feb 23, 2026 at 12:04 PM IST
The surrender of Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, the general secretary of CPI (Maoists), along with another leader, Malla Raji Reddy, in Telangana, marks the end of the Maoist movement in India. The launch of a massive operation codenamed KGH-2 by over 2000 personnel, including Cobra and the Central Reserve Police Force, to apprehend top leaders may have prompted the surrender of these top leaders. The movement is now left rudderless.
Last year November, Devuji’s brother Gangadhar and Mallaraji Reddy’s daughter Snehlata had filed a Habeas Corpus petition in the Andhra Pradesh High Court stating that they were in the custody of Andhra Pradesh police and they should be produced in the court. The government counsel, however, denied it.
With the surrender of both these leaders, the Politburo and the Central Committee of Maoists have been nearly wiped out. Of the remaining three leaders who matter, Ganapati, the former general secretary in his seventies, is believed to have fled to another country. Misir Besra is based in Jharkhand, and intensive operations have been launched to either neutralise him or force him to surrender. Papa Rao, hitherto not a much-known name, is now believed to be with a few remnants who have succeeded in eluding the dragnet of the security forces.
So, with the morale of the remaining Maoists at its lowest ebb, large-scale surrenders can be expected in the next few weeks as the deadline of March 31 nears, and the mounting pressure on them by the security forces draws them out of their hideouts. They can no longer rely on the villagers, as they remain cut off due to the presence of security forces in the Forward Operating Bases.
Though the Maoist-affected states have their surrender and rehabilitation policies, there are differences in the incentives offered by each state. While the Chhattisgarh government offers Rs 50,000 each to Maoists who surrender, the Madhya Pradesh Government offers quite a few lakhs, which is more lucrative.
Perhaps that’s why Sunita Oyam, 23, an Area Committee member from Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, who carried a reward of Rs 14 lakh, chose to surrender before Madhya Pradesh police in Balagahat district on November 1, 2025.
The lucrative compensation awarded to surrendered Maoists by the Odisha government led to 45 surrenders since November. The government, nevertheless, brought in stringent measures so that Maoists who do not hail from the state or those who have not been involved in Maoist activities in Odisha do not draw the benefits of its surrender and rehabilitation policy.
Other factors that dictate the surrender by Maoists are proximity to the state to which they belong, with whatever compensations they may receive. This is so that they can stay with their families. Mallujola Venugopal Rao, a former member of the Politburo and the central committee carrying a reward of over Rs 1 crore, chose to surrender in Gadchiroli along with 60 of his comrades on October 15, 2025. His wife, Tarakka, surrendered in the same district and settled there.
Devuji chose to surrender to the Telangana police along with his associates as he is a native of Karimnagar, a district from where a good number of Maoists joined the ranks. His interrogation may lead to more arrests or surrenders, which could be a step towards the annihilation of the Maoist movement once and for all.
The writer is former IG, CRPF
Devuji chose to surrender to Telangana police along with his associates as he is a native of Karimnagar, a district from where a good number of Maoists joined the ranks (Express file photo) 
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