Three senior Maoist leaders surrender before Telangana Police after decades of remaining underground

Three senior leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist), Kunkati Venkataiah alias Vikas, Mogilicherla Venkatraju alias Chandu, and Thodem Ganga alias Sony, surrendered before the Telangana Police on Friday, after decades of being underground.

All three, who were State Committee Members (SCMs) of the CPI (Maoist), were leading key divisions under the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC). Their surrender took place in the presence of the Director General of Police, Telangana B. Shivadhar Reddy. Each of them carried a reward of ₹20 lakh, which was handed over through demand drafts as part of the State’s rehabilitation policy.

According to the DGP, 52-year-old Venkataiah, a native of Kutigal village in Siddipet district, had been underground for 36 years. He rose through the ranks after joining the CPI (ML) People’s War Group in 1990, eventually becoming in-charge of the South Bastar Divisional Committee under the DKSZC. His wife, Kodi Manjula alias Nirmala, also a senior Maoist leader, had surrendered earlier in 2024. Police said deteriorating health prompted Venkataiah to quit the movement in May 2025 and return to civilian life.

Venkatraju, 45, known by several aliases including Erra Raju and Chander, hails from Thatikayala village in Hanumakonda district. He was underground for 35 years and served as in-charge of the Chetna Natya Manch (CNM) cultural wing in the DKSZC. “Once a folk singer inspired by revolutionary art, he joined the People’s War Group in the early 1990s and rose to become a State Committee Member. He decided to surrender citing failing eyesight and growing ideological differences within the Maoist leadership,” said the officer.

Meanwhile, 42-year-old Thodem Ganga alias Sony, from Dharampeta village in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, was underground for 21 years. “She served as in-charge of the Janathana Sarkar under the South Bastar Division and held multiple leadership roles within the DKSZC. She left the organisation on health grounds and expressed her wish to live a peaceful life with her husband, Venkatraju,” added the officer.

The DGP also said that the trio would receive rehabilitation benefits as per the government’s policy, including financial support and assistance to reintegrate into society. Their surrender, the DGP added, represents a moral victory for Telangana’s long-term policy of persuasion and rehabilitation rather than confrontation.

The Telangana Police said that in 2025 alone, 412 underground cadres, including one Central Committee Member, four State Committee Members, two Divisional Committee Secretaries, eight Divisional Committee Members, and 35 Area Committee Members, have surrendered, influenced by the government’s comprehensive reintegration strategy.

As of now, 72 active underground cadres of the CPI (Maoist) are natives of Telangana, while eight of the organisation’s 12 Central Committee Members also hail from the State.