From Warangal's student hostels to the forests of Adilabad, Telangana was once the heart of India's Maoist movement. Today, the same state is witnessing its collapse with only 11 Telangana Maoists remaining underground in Telangana.
Making a fresh surrender appeal Temangan DGP B Shivdhar Reddy in Monday asked the remaining Maoists to surrender and return to normal life.
"Give up violence, lay down your arms and join the mainstream. Return to your families and live a safe and respectable life," he said.
State police chief said 721 Maoists from Telangana and Chhattisgarh have surrendered in the last two years. They include four Central Committee members, 19 State Committee members and 36 Divisional Committee members.
"Many senior Maoists have already surrendered and are now living peacefully in their villages with government support," he said.
B Shivadhar Reddy made a special appeal to Telangana-origin Maoist leaders still active in other states, including Ganapathi, Santosh, Mangthu, Sujatha, Rela and Rupi.
"We are ready to help them. They will get financial assistance, rehabilitation benefits and a chance to start a new life," he said.
The DGP also said the government is also ready to provide medical treatment in Hyderabad to firmer Maoist Supreme commander and most wanted Ganapathi, who is reported to be unwell.
"If Ganapathi returns, the government will ensure proper treatment and support," he said.
He asked family members of Maoists still underground to convince them to surrender.
Telangana was once the centre of Maoist activity in the country. But police say the movement has now almost collapsed after years of operations, counselling and rehabilitation.
Most of the top leadership of the CPI (Maoist) came from Telangana. Kondapalli Seetharamaiah of Warangal founded the People's War Group in 1980. Later, Karimnagar-born Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy became the longest-serving general secretary of the Maoists. Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraj, who studied in Warangal, later headed the outfit before he was killed in Chhattisgarh in May 2025.
The movement grew in Telangana after the 1970s. Land disputes, unemployment and anger among tribal communities after the 1981 Indravelli police firing helped Maoists spread across Adilabad, Karimnagar, Warangal and Khammam. Osmania University and Warangal colleges became major centres for student mobilisation.
The first police officer killed by the People's War Group was Kazipet sub-inspector Yadagiri Reddy in Warangal in 1985. By the late 1980s, landmine blasts and attacks on police had become common.
To fight the insurgency, then (united Andhra Pradesh? chief minister NT Rama Rao created the Greyhounds force in 1989 with a budget of Rs 8 crore under IPS officer KS Vyas. But the violence continued. Vyas was shot dead in Hyderabad on January 27, 1993. IPS officer Umesh Chandra was assassinated in Hyderabad on September 4, 1999. Home Minister A. Madhava Reddy was killed in a landmine blast near Ghatkesar on March 7, 2000.
The movement reached its peak after the People's War Group merged with the Maoist Communist Centre in 2004 to form CPI (Maoist). In 2005 alone, more than 520 people were killed in Maoist violence in the then united Andhra Pradesh.
After Telangana was formed in 2014, the state shifted to a new strategy. Along with Greyhounds operations, the State Intelligence Bureau began focusing on counselling and rehabilitation.
The biggest breakthrough came this year. Senior Maoist leader Tippiri Tirupati alias Devji from Jagtial surrendered in Kumuram Bheem Asifabad on February 23 after spending over 40 years underground. On March 7, another 130 Maoists surrendered before Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad and handed over 124 weapons, including 31 AK-47 rifles. Police said the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army had effectively collapsed. 
With just 11 rebels including three women commanders, it is appropriatet to conclude that after almost four decades of bloodshed, Telangana's Maoist story appears to be nearing its final chapter.
