Andhra Pradesh and Telangana police report a near disappearance of Naxalism from the two Telugu states as the Union government's 31 March deadline to eliminate Left Wing Extremism draws to a close.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta announced on Sunday that there are now zero underground cadres left in the state. This follows the surrender of senior Maoist leader Chelluri Narayana Rao, also known as Somanna, in Vijayawada. Somanna, regarded as one of the last senior leaders connected to the Andhra-Odisha border network, surrendered just a day before the Centre's deadline.
In November 2025, a specific operation resulted in the death of Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, considered one of the most wanted guerrilla leaders in Bastar. This occurred during an anti-Maoist operation in the ASR district of Andhra Pradesh. His death came a few months after CPI (Maoist) chief Nambala Keshava Rao, or Basavaraj, was killed on 21 May 2025, in the Abujhmad forests of Chhattisgarh. Following Hidma's death, Andhra Pradesh Police launched a large crackdown and arrested 50 Maoist operatives across five districts.
The arrests were made in Krishna, Eluru, NTR, Kakinada, and Konaseema districts, as well as Vijayawada. Police stated that most of those arrested had recently entered Andhra Pradesh from Sukma, Bijapur, Narayanpur, and Bastar in Chhattisgarh after facing pressure from security forces there. Among those arrested were members of the Maoists' special zonal committee, divisional committee, and armed cadres. Forty-five of them were later sent to judicial remand.
Police seized 39 weapons, 302 rounds of ammunition, detonators, and approximately Rs 13 lakh in cash during searches at various hideouts. The recovered weapons included rifles and firearms believed to have been moved from Chhattisgarh into Andhra Pradesh.
Telangana Movement Nears Final Conclusion
In Telangana, police claim the Maoist movement is nearing its end, stating that only 11 Maoists from the state remain underground. Among them, only one or two are actively involved in armed operations. Earlier, DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy mentioned that the remaining underground cadres include former CPI (Maoist) chief Muppala Lakshmana Rao, known as Ganapathy. However, police believe most of the remaining Telangana natives are no longer active.
Sources within Telangana police indicate that there is now only one Area Committee Member and one senior State Committee functionary from Telangana still active. The rest are either inactive, ageing, or attempting to surrender. Police have reported a significant decline in the number of Telangana-origin underground cadres, falling sharply from 124 in 2023 to just 11 in 2026. Furthermore, over 500 Maoists surrendered in Telangana during the past year.
In February this year, senior Maoist commander Tippiri Tirupati, alias Devji, surrendered to Telangana Police alongside senior Maoist Malla Raji Reddy. Devji, who had been underground for nearly four decades, was among the senior-most remaining leaders. On 13 March, 130 Maoists surrendered to Chief Minister Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad, handing over 124 weapons, including AK-47 and INSAS rifles. Telangana Police described this as the biggest surrender in the state's history, effectively marking the end of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army in the state.
The collapse of Naxalism signifies the end of a violent chapter that shaped undivided Andhra Pradesh for nearly five decades. The movement first gained strength in Telangana, and its first major turning point occurred in Adilabad, where the People's War Group carried out its first landmine blast. By the mid-1980s, Maoist violence had spread across Warangal, Karimnagar, and Adilabad. In 1986, Kazipet sub-inspector Yadagiri Reddy was killed in Warangal district, becoming the first police officer killed by rebels in the then Andhra Pradesh.
In response to the ongoing violence, Chief Minister NT Rama Rao established the elite Greyhounds force in 1989, initially funded with Rs 8 crore. Despite this, the violence persisted, culminating in the assassination of IPS officer KS Vyas in Hyderabad in 1993. The insurgency reached its peak in the early 2000s. In 2003, then Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu narrowly escaped a powerful landmine blast. A year later, the People's War Group and Maoist Communist Centre merged to form CPI (Maoist). In 2005 alone, over 520 people, including policemen and civilians, lost their lives due to Maoist violence in Andhra Pradesh.
Significant turning points in the conflict:
1981: Indravelli police firing and mass tribal recruitment.
1989: Creation of Greyhounds and the start of professional counter-insurgency.
1993: Killing of KS Vyas, a major blow to police morale.
2003: Naidu landmine attack targeting top political leadership.
2004: PWG-MCC merger and formation of a national Maoist organisation.
2008: Balimela ambush, the deadliest attack on Greyhounds.
2010s: Intelligence-led operations and the decline of Maoists in Andhra Pradesh.
After decades of bloodshed, police believe the movement is finally reaching its conclusion in the region.
