"Beginning Of The End": Telangana Police Chief After Top Maoist Commander Surrenders

In what is being described as the "death knell" for the PLGA and the Telangana State Committee of the CPI (Maoist), top commanders and several underground cadres surrendered to the Telangana police today, signalling the potential end of an era for the outlawed organisation.

The surrender of Barse Deva, alias Deva, the commander of the PLGA (People's Liberation Guerrilla Army) Battalion, marks the collapse of the organisation's last remaining stronghold.

Deva, a native of Puvvarthi village and a contemporary of the late Madvi Hidma, was a high-ranking member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DK SZCM). He carried a massive combined reward of Rs 75,00,000 on his head across multiple states. 

Simultaneously, the Telangana State Committee (TSC) has been pushed to the brink of extinction following the surrender of Kankanala Raji Reddy, alias Venkatesh, a State Committee Member (SCM). With his exit, only one SCM - TSC Secretary Damodhar - remains in the state unit.

A total of 18 underground cadres surrendered alongside their leaders, bringing with them a significant "arms dump". The recovery included 48 firearms and over 2,200 rounds of ammunition.

The seized arsenal featured two LMGs and advanced rifles, including a US-made Colt and an Israel-made Tavor.

"We are still to find out how they got hold of a Tavor. Usually they would snatch police firearms during encounters or loot them from police stations," Telangana DGP Shivadhar Reddy told NDTV.

Eight AK-47s, 10 INSAS rifles, and 8 SLR rifles, 4 Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs), grenades, and an air gun were among the surrendered weapons.

Deva was considered a "perfect strategist" and a military expert responsible for major ambushes, including the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack in Chhattisgarh that killed several political leaders. His surrender, following the death of Hidma, is seen as a decisive blow to the military backbone of the movement.

Officials noted that Deva had previously been instrumental in reorganising PLGA formations to save them from security force raids in the KGH (Kandhamal-Ganjam-Boudh) region.

The Telangana DGP has reiterated the state's appeal to all remaining underground cadres to renounce violence. 

Under the government's comprehensive rehabilitation policy, those who surrender are promised full protection and support for social reintegration, assistance to rebuild their lives in a peaceful and dignified manner.

"We had thought there were still about 53 Maoists from Telangana. But now we have understood, there are only 27," Shivadhar Reddy said.

"More important, the most elite military wing of the Maoist party has collapsed. From over 400, its strength is down to 60 or less and the commander himself has surrendered with all the arms. So this is certainly the beginning of the end," he said.