Top Maoist Commander From Bastar, 40 Others Lay Down Arms In Telangana

A top commander of Maoist outfit People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Sodi Keshalu, along with 40 others, surrendered before the Telangana Police on Monday.

Keshalu, also known as Malla, was one of the top leaders of the PGLA from Bastar and worked as deputy commander of the Maoist battalion active along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border. Police said he was considered the second-in-command after senior Maoist leader Badise Deva, who had surrendered earlier.

The group, which laid down their arms and joined the mainstream, included divisional committee members, area committee leaders and platoon-level cadres. They also handed over several weapons, including AK-47 rifles, INSAS rifles and SLR rifles.

In his late 40s, Keshalu was considered the second most important commander active on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border and he led around 20 to 30 cadres in the Karregutta hills.

Though the Telangana Police have not officially announced the amount, officers familiar with the case said Keshalu likely carried a reward of around Rs 20 lakh.

This year, Telangana had already seen a series of top Maoist commander surrender. On January 2, PLGA Battalion-1 commander Barsa Deva aka Devanna surrendered.

On February 22, top most CPI (Maoist) politburo member and Central Military Commission member Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji, 62, surrendered in front of state DGP B Shivdhar Reddy after 40 years as part the Maoist movement. He was accompanied by senior leader Malla Raji Reddy, along with 20 cadres.

On March 7 in Hyderabad, 130 Maoists surrendered before Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and handed over 124 weapons. After this surrender, police declared that the Telangana Maoist state committee was completely finished.