With Top Leader Devuji's Surrender, Near Collapse Of Naxalism In Telangana

Deoji, also known as Thippiri Tirupathi, or Devuji, a leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) has decided to drop weapons and surrender after being underground for 40 years.

Telangana, once a hotbed of Red violence, is set to witness the near collapse of left-wing extremism in the country with Devuji surrendering. This comes ahead of the March 31 deadline set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to eliminate Maoists in the country.

Another senior Maoist leader, Malla Raji Reddy, along with several cadres of the CPI (Maoist) have also decided to surrender before the Telangana Police in the days to come.

Who Is Devuji?

Born in Ambedkar Nagar Colony of Korutla town, Devuji comes from a modest Dalit family. While pursuing a degree, he became influenced by radical politics and built an association with the Radical Students' Union. Clashes between student groups and police cases were common during that period. By the end of 1983, he went underground and joined the Maoist movement.

Devuji became the third successive Telugu leader (Ganpathi, Basavaraj, Tirupathi) to head the party since its formation in 2004, following the merger of People's War Group and Maoist Communist Centre.

Believed to be 65 years old, Devuji is said to have succeeded Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraj, who was killed during Operation Kagar in May 2025 in Abujhmad of Chhattisgarh. 

Devuji is the General Secretary of the Maoists, the highest position in the insurgent hierarchy. He earlier served as a Central Committee and Politburo (or political bureau) member, playing a crucial role in strategic planning and coordination of Maoist operations across multiple states.

Devuji Has 1.25 Crore Bounty

Security agencies have linked him to several major ambushes, including the 2010 Dantewada attack that killed 74 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. He reportedly carried a reward of up to Rs 1 crore by central agencies, with a Rs 25 lakh bounty announced in Telangana alone.

His predecessor, Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, also carried a Rs 1.5 crore reward before he was killed.

Devuji was wanted in multiple cases of extremist violence, conspiracy, and attacks on security forces across Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

He faced several cases related to violent encounters, extortion, recruitment, and logistical support to insurgent activities.

The surrender of a General Secretary-rank functionary delivers a major strategic setback to the Maoist command structure and is expected to weaken operational capabilities in the region.