Maoist Leadership’s Surrender Signals Lasting Peace, An Emerging Reality: Bastar IG

Raipur: The surrender of four top Naxals including CPI (Maoist) general secretary Devji alias Thippri Tirupati before the Telangana police on Tuesday has signaled that lasting peace is not a distant goal but an emerging reality, a senior police officer closely associated with counterinsurgency for years in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region,said.

Devji along with Central Committee Member (CCM) Murali alias Sangram, Telangana State Committee (TSC) secretary Damodar, DKSZC (Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee) member Ganganna of the banned CPI (Maoist) surrendered before the Telangana police on Tuesday.

Describing the development as a ‘watershed moment’ in the decades-long counterinsurgency, Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj said that these four senior Maoist cadres were critical members of the outlawed outfit’s top hierarchy and spent several decades underground.

“Their decision to renounce violence and armed struggle reflects a decisive shift in ground realities- a clear acknowledgement that the space of violence is shrinking, while the space for peace and development continues to expand”, he noted.

Referring to decades-old Leftwing insurgency in Bastar region, he said that sustained security efforts in the tribal belt and other Leftwing Extremism-affected areas, improved governance, and the rising aspirations of local communities have steadily created an atmosphere for change.

“When cadres of such seniority step away after three to four decades underground, it underscores a growing realization within the ranks that the path of extremism has reached its limits”, he said.

Stating that ‘today’s development is both symbolic and consequential’, he said that it sends a strong signal to the remaining cadres that the movement no longer holds the authority or conviction it once projected.

At the same time, it strengthens the public confidence that lasting peace is not a distant goal but an emerging reality, he said.

The police officer said Bastar- a region that has endured years of violence and disruption due to Leftwing Extremism- is now poised to accelerate its march towards enduring stability.

“The gradual weakening of the Maoist leadership structure points unmistakably towards the organization’s eventual collapse and the end of decades-long bloodshed and violence”, he said.

Appealing to the remaining red cadres to join the mainstream of the society, he said that ‘The message is unmistakable: the era of violence is drawing to a close, and the future lies in peace, progress, and the aspirations of the native communities.’