Maoists’ Supreme Commander Devji Surrendered In Telangana: Chhattisgarh CM

Raipur: In the first official confirmation, Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Sunday declared that Maoists’ ‘supreme commander’ Devji alias Thippri Tirupati surrendered before the Telangana police.

In a post on X, Mr. Sai said that Devji along with Central Committee Member (CCM) of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) Malla Rajireddy alias Sangram have surrendered before the Telangana police and described it as the ‘biggest success’ in the campaign against the Leftwing extremism.

The development, coming ahead of the March 31 deadline to eradicate Naxalism in the country, is billed to leave the beleaguered Naxal organization in complete strategic and ideological disarray.

Reports said that the two top Maoists along with 16 other Naxals have surrendered before the State Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of the Telangana police.

The ‘surrendered’ Naxals may be produced before the media by the Telangana police in a day or two, sources said.

In another development, Chhattisgarh deputy chief minister Vijay Sharma on Sunday indicated that negotiations are on with three-four top Maoists for surrender.

He however refused to elaborate further.

Without taking the name of CPI (Maoist) founder Ganapathy alias Muppala Laxman Rao, Mr. Sharma said that the Maoist ideologue is now completely inactive and his whereabouts are yet to be known.

“An elderly Maoist has become completely inactive and there is no information about his whereabouts”, Mr. Sharma said.

Mr. Sharma attributed the major reverses suffered by the Maoists in the recent times to the sustained pressure on them by the security forces.

“Naxalism is in its final phase. The pressure built by the security forces in Chhattisgarh and bordering states has resulted in top leaders surrendering today”, he said.

With Devji’s surrender, two CPI (Maoist) general secretaries have been neutralized in a span of seven months, a ‘historic success’ in the four-decade-long campaign against the Leftwing extremism

Devji’s predecessor in the post Basavaraju was gunned down along with 26 other Naxals in Abujhmad in Narayanpur district under south Bastar in May 2025.

Mr. Sharma said that the ongoing Operation Black Forest. 2, being carried out in the Karregutta Hills (KGH) along Chhattisgarh- Telangana border has led to recovery of 89 improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) so far.

According to the official data, as many as 22 top Maoists including Basavaraju and 11 other CCMs were killed in separate encounters in Bastar in the last 26 months.

Total 1031 automatic weapons including AK 47, INSAS, SLR, and Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs) were recovered during the period.

While over 2,500 Maoists were arrested, more than 2,000 ultras surrendered in Bastar during the period.