Top woman Maoist leader surrenders before Telangana DGP

Hyderabad, Sep 21 (IANS) A top woman leader of the CPI-Maoist from Chhattisgarh, carrying a reward of Rs 10 lakh on her head, surrendered before Telangana Police on Wednesday.

Madavi Hademe alias Savitri, a Divisional Committee Member, South Bastar Division of Dandakaranya Special zonal Committee and Incharge Konta Area Committee, surrendered before Director General of Telangana Police M. Mahender Reddy here.

The police chief presented 46-year-old Savitri, a native of Chhattisgarh, at a news conference but he said she was not willing to speak to the media.

According to police, Savitri laid down arms as she was frustrated with the mindless violence and aimless protracted armed struggle of CPI-Maoist and due to humiliation she faced in the party after the demise of her husband and top Maoist leader Ramanna in 2019.

Savitri is the wife of late Ravula Srinivas alias Ramanna, Central Committee Member and Secretary of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee who died due to cardiac arrest in 2019.

Ramanna, who hailed from Telangana, was a first-generation Maoist leader and strong believer of revolutionary ideology. He joined then People's War Group (PWG) in 1983 and built the organisation in Bastar region. Savitri, who joined the movement at the age of 13, also worked in various capacities in the region under Ramanna.

The Chhattisgarh government had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on Savitri, who during the last three decades of underground life, recruited 300-350 tribals into the Maoist outfit, and was involved in several cases including nine major attacks in which more than 120 security personnel were killed.

Savitri's son Ravula Srikanth Ranjith surrendered last year. According to police, she also desires to spend the rest of life with her son. After the death of her husband and surrender of her son, she went into depression and realising the futility of continuing in the outlawed Maoist outfit and attracted by the provisions of comprehensive surrender and rehabilitation policies of the Telangana government, decided to leave the party to join mainstream to lead normal life, police said.

As an immediate relief, the DGP handed over Rs 50,000 to Savitri and announced that under the state government's surrender policy, she would be later given Rs 5 lakh.

She told police that many cadres are fed up with the protracted armed struggle and mindless violence of the outfit but are compelled to continue as Maoist leadership is not allowing them to surrender. She appealed to alled the Maoist cadres across the country to give arms, stop obstructing the growth of tribals and join the mainstream. She also appealed to the tribal community of Bastar in Chhattisgarh to withdraw their support to the CPI-Maoist and join hands with the administration to facilitate their growth.

The DGP also appealed to all underground cadres across the country, especially those who hail from Telangana, to surrender and join the national mainstream. He assured all help for relief and rehabilitation under the state government's surrender policy. These include house sites, agricultural land, and reward money.

Replying to a query, he said Telangana Police were on alert to prevent Maoists from entering into Telangana from Chhattisgarh and were working to make the state free from Maoists.

"We are keeping a close watch on their movements. We are on alert to prevent them from entering Telangana and to arrest them if they manage to enter the state," he said.

He said out of 20 members of the Central Committee of CPI-Maoist, 11 are from Telangana and two from Andhra. As long as the entire central leadership is run by those from Telangana, will they continue to re-establish the outfit in the state.

He also revealed that 135 underground cadres from the state were also working in various formations and different states but mainly in Bastar area. He also noted that in recent times, recruitment into the Maoist outfit has come down and even in Telangana formation, only few are Telugu.

The DGP said three women Maoists from Telangana were working in state level committees. These include wives of top leaders Ganapathy and Koteshwar Rao. Stating that these women were facing a lot of difficulties, Mahender Reddy said if they surrender they will be provided all facilities to help them join the mainstream.