Senior Maoist couple surrender after 45 years underground

The couple were holding state committee ranks in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), stated while their health is falling apart, the Telangana government’s comprehensive rehabilitation scheme and the humane approach of the police as reasons behind their decision to return to mainstream society.

Sudheer Babu, who personally accepted their surrender, called it a moral victory for the state working on Maoist disengagement. “Mala Sanjeev belongs to Yapral in Medchal–Malkajgiri district. His brothers, who worked in the Railway department, have retired and are settled in Yapral. Now, Sanjeev too will join them and lead a peaceful life,” the Commissioner said.

Sanjeev, 62 a face furing the Maoist movement once worked closely with balladeer Gaddar. He began his journey with the Jana Natya Mandali in 1980 and later started participating in the movements, holding critical roles in various Maoist dalams across Telangana and Chhattisgarh and 14 other states. His wife Deena, 50, from Nagarkurnool district, joined the Maoist movement in the early 1990s and have taken up several ranks. The duo worked in the Chaitanya Natya Manch, mobilizing tribal communities through cultural programmes in Telugu, Hindi, and Koya languages.