‘I did not surrender’: Ex-Maoist leader Rajireddy says he was arrested

HYDERABAD: Former Maoist leader Rajireddy has challenged the official narrative of his surrender to the Telangana police, asserting that he was arrested. Recalling the circumstances of his arrest, the former leader alleged that the authorities frequently capture senior Maoists and subsequently frame their arrests as voluntary surrenders.

“I did not surrender; I was arrested on February 18. It was decided that we would resolve this issue within the framework of the law and in a relatively peaceful manner. Whoever is caught, the government portrays it as a surrender”, said Rajireddy.

Devuji further expressed his belief that the Communist Party (Maoist), which has long engaged in class struggles and guerrilla warfare in remote regions, faces significant challenges in sustaining its traditional operations. He suggested that, rather than continuing overt armed conflict, the organisation may shift toward secretly mobilising the masses for struggle, potentially relocating to new areas to reorganise and guide the party’s future.

“It appears to me that the party, which has been waging class struggles and guerrilla warfare in the interior regions, may find it difficult to sustain such operations in the future. Consequently, instead of engaging in overt armed conflict, they may opt to secretly mobilise the masses for struggle; in doing so, they would move to external areas to reorganise and guide their party”, said Rajireddy.

Meanwhile, in a significant breakthrough for Telangana’s anti-Naxal operations, 130 cadres of the CPI (Maoist) surrendered on March 7. According to Telangana DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy, the cadres handed over a cache of 124 weapons, which included INSAS and AK-47 rifles, many of which were previously looted from police forces”.

#WATCH | Hyderabad: Telangana CM Revanth Reddy says, “…After 2024, we made at least 700 Naxalites surrender. They also surrendered 250 weapons. Today, 130 people surrendered with 124 weapons, including AK47s, SLRs, and other weapons. They also handed over 7,000 bullets to the… https://t.co/qzysLAfto2 pic.twitter.com/krK6c2L9Dv

— ANI (@ANI) March 7, 2026

“130 cadres of the CPI (Maoist) party surrendered today. They handed over 124 weapons to the police, including INSAS and AK-47 rifles. All these weapons were looted from the police force. This is a major success for the government and the Telangana Police Force,” Reddy told reporters here.

The surrender programme took place in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Hyderabad. According to officials, those who surrendered included three State Committee members, one Regional Committee member, ten Divisional Committee members, 46 Area Committee members, and 70 other party members.

The surrendered Maoists handed over 124 weapons to the police, including 1 INSAS LMG rifle, 31 AK-47 rifles, 21 INSAS rifles, 20 SLR rifles, 18 .303 rifles, and 33 other weapons.

Addressing a press conference after the surrender programme, the Chief Minister appealed to top Maoist leaders, including Central Committee member Ganapati, to surrender, join mainstream life and actively participate in the reconstruction of Telangana.

He also congratulated the surrendered cadres for responding to the state government’s call and choosing to join mainstream life. Revanth Reddy said the government is ready to revoke cases registered against the Naxalites within the purview of law. If required, the state government will also constitute a committee to review the pending cases. (ANI)