Hyderabad: In the wake of a decline in Maoist activities in Telangana, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has hinted that senior police officials should consider reducing the staffing of the Greyhounds, a specialized commando force dealing with the problem of left-wing extremists.
Speaking at the state police’s ‘Telangana Police Retreat 2026’ event on Monday, Reddy said the 1,200 employees working in greyhounds could be shifted to some other wings of the police department.
“You have 1,200 people who are well trained in greyhounds. Following the combing and other activities, they can be rearranged in some other places.
If there are posts that have been approved for a particular purpose, and when that purpose is resolved, what is the point of these employees continuing in that department?” Reddy asked.
Ahead of the Centre’s March 31 deadline, as many as 130 Maoists, including some women cadres, surrendered in front of Revanth Reddy here on March 7.
“Now there is no Telangana State Maoist Committee. It has completely disappeared,” the PDP told reporters then.
On February 24, the top Maoist leader and key ‘strategist’ of the banned CPI party, Tiberi Tirupati, also known as Devoji, surrendered before the Telangana police, after more than four decades of underground life.
Besides Devoji, another Central Committee member, Malla Raje Reddy, and two other ultras Baddi Choka Rao @Jagan and Noni Narasimha Reddy @Jangana also laid down their arms.
A senior Telangana Police official said that there are deliberations within the department on the greyhound issues, and no decision has been taken yet.
“Even if the force is reduced, the services of commandos could be used in some other wings of the police,” the official said.
The packages offered to surrendered Maoists are being implemented in letter and spirit in Telangana, the official said.
However, Reddy’s proposal did not receive any enthusiasm from senior retired police officials.
They said the sudden reduction in the greyhound workforce could lead to multiple problems, as there may be a shortage of trained staff in the future should the need arise.
“You cannot remove the entire ward at once. If the government wants to downsize it, it can do it in a phased manner, and assess the situation,” a retired DG told PTI.
Another senior IPS officer who retired as DGP of undivided Andhra Pradesh said that the Greyhounds, created in 1989-90, were considered one of the elite forces across the country with several states sending their personnel for training at the Greyhounds Training Academy.
“If the wing is scrapped now, tomorrow you will not get trained personnel for the purpose. The Telangana government has to move cautiously,” the former police official said.
The Greyhounds, which deals with problems of left-wing extremists on the policing front with local police, was formed in undivided Andhra Pradesh.
The assigned organization/unit is developed by IPS Officer KS Vyas. Greyhound personnel are well trained in jungle warfare to counter the Maoists in the forests. Sources said that greyhounds have become a training center for anti-Maoist forces in other states.
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