'I did not surrender': 130 Maoists surrender in Telangana; ex-leader Rajireddy rejects claim

HYDERABAD: Former Maoist leader Rajireddy has challenged the official account of his surrender to the Telangana police, claiming that he was, in fact, arrested.Recalling the circumstances, he alleged that authorities often apprehend senior Maoists and subsequently present these 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 also expressed his view that the Communist Party (Maoist), which has long carried out class struggles and guerrilla warfare in remote areas, faces considerable difficulties in maintaining its traditional operations.He suggested that instead of continuing overt armed conflict, the organisation may focus on secretly mobilising the masses, possibly 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, Telangana witnessed a significant breakthrough in its anti-Naxal operations when 130 CPI (Maoist) cadres surrendered on March 7. Telangana DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy reported that the cadres handed over 124 weapons, including INSAS and AK-47 rifles, many of which had been looted from police forces."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.The surrender programme was conducted in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy at the Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) in Hyderabad.Officials stated that among those who surrendered were 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, including 1 INSAS LMG rifle, 31 AK-47 rifles, 21 INSAS rifles, 20 SLR rifles, 18 .303 rifles, and 33 other weapons.At a press conference following the programme, the Chief Minister appealed to top Maoist leaders, including Central Committee member Ganapati, to surrender, join mainstream life, and contribute to Telangana’s reconstruction.He also congratulated the surrendered cadres for responding to the government’s call and choosing to reintegrate into society. Revanth Reddy stated that the government is prepared to revoke cases registered against the Naxalites within the purview of law and, if needed, will form a committee to review pending cases.