New Delhi, Oct 15 (IANS) The surrender of top Maoist commander, Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupati, along with over 60 of his associates, signals the death of the ‘Naxalite’ movement to a large extent and in particular at Gadchiroli in Maharashtra.

Bhupathi, also known as Sonu, Venugopal, Sonu ‘dada’, Vivek, Master and Venu, carried multiple bounties ranging from Rs 1 crore to Rs 10 crore.

He was a firebrand leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), an outfit that is banned in India.

He was wanted in Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. He was active in the movement for the last 40 years and was in charge of operations in the Red Corridor comprising Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Maharashtra. He was also a member of the CPI (Maoist)’s Central Military Commission and had plotted and executed several major attacks.

Over the last couple of years, he largely operated in the Gadchiroli belt and has been named in almost every case that has taken place in this part.

The operations that he oversaw were brutal in nature and led to the deaths of scores of CRPF, STF and DRG personnel. Rao is also the brother of Maoist leader Mallojula Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishenji, who was killed in an encounter in 2011 in West Midnapore district in West Bengal.

Kishenji, who operated from West Bengal, helped found the People’s War Group (PWG) in 1980. He was also the one who oversaw the merger of the PWG with the Maoist Communist Centre of India to form the CPI (Maoist).

Since Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that India would be “Naxal-free” by March 2026, the surrender of Rao and his associates is one of the biggest developments.

Officials said that the rate at which things are taking place, the security forces would be able to achieve the target of a Maoist-free India much before the deadline.

The Union Home Minister had appealed to the ultras to lay down their arms as soon as possible. He urged them to join the mainstream by adopting the surrender policy formulated by the Modi government.

There are several reasons behind Rao’s surrender. First and foremost, it had become clear to him that the fight against the security forces was becoming a futile exercise.

The Union Government is determined in its battle against Maoists and has adopted a no-nonsense approach.

Along with an iron fist, the government also ensured that there was development in “Naxalite-affected” belts. This led to the locals turning against the “naxalites” as they felt that they were being used in the name of no development.

Along with the development came the communication, which made it easier to carry out operations. Furthermore, the building of roads not only helped the locals but also enabled the security forces to carry out their operations.

Further, Bhupathi had realised that he had been cornered by the special anti-Maoist force like the C-60 commandos of Maharashtra.

The multi-state forces, which were also involved in the operations, carried out successful anti-Naxalite operations in Gadchiroli and Abujhmad, which left Bhupathi cornered and frustrated.

Realising that the game was up, Bhupathi had recently told his supporters that the only option was to surrender. He had, through a press release, appealed to the CPI (Maoist) to shun violence and return to peace and dialogue with the state.

This would include the surrender and laying down of arms, he had also said. This proposal was, however, rejected, and the same led to internal divisions within the ranks.

A warning too was issued against him by the Central Commission. This probably is the last of the Maoist movement in the Gadchiroli region, which was once one of the most dangerous belts in the country. Last year, Bhupathi’s wife, Vimala Chandra Sidam, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore, had surrendered.

–IANS

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