In what could be seen as the final nail in the coffin of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), two of its senior leaders, including party general secretary Tiberi Tirupati alias Devji, 60, and Politburo Central Committee member Malla Raje Reddy alias Sangram, 76, surrendered to Telangana police, officials familiar with the developments said on Sunday.
A senior Telangana Police official confirmed that the two leaders, along with 16 other party members, including a few senior leaders, surrendered to the Special Intelligence Bureau (SIB) of the Telangana Police in Komaram Bhim Asifabad area in the early hours of Sunday.
“A formal announcement will be made in just a day or two after the surrender process is formalized and the Maoist leaders are likely to be paraded before the media in the presence of Director General of Police P Shivadhar Reddy or even Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy,” the official said.
There were reports of Devji, Raji Reddy and others sending sensors to the Telangana Police over the past two days, after security forces launched a large-scale operation in Karijutalu Hills bordering Telangana-Chhattisgarh.
“The SIB has intensified pressure on Maoist party leaders through their families, friends and acquaintances to either surrender or be killed in the encounter. Last week, the DGP of Telangana made an open appeal to the leaders to surrender and join the mainstream, so that they can lead a respectable life in the society,” the official said.
