Maoist leader Devji reveals LTTE links, grenade launchers and arms units to Telangana Police

HYDERABAD: Surrendered senior Maoist leader Tippiri Thirupathi alias Devji revealed to the Telangana police about the Maoists' military training links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), as well as with Maoist groups in the Philippines and Nepal. He also disclosed that the Maoists built barrel grenade launchers and ran arms units from Bhopal, Rourkela and Kolkata.The interrogation threw light on how the banned outfit's military wing, over the years, pursued a mix of field innovation, arms production, and outside training inputs, even as sustained security pressure weakened that infrastructure, Telangana police sources said. Maoists from Telangana also trained their counterparts in Nepal.During interrogation, Devji told police that the Maoists explored attempts to procure drones, develop improvised systems by fixing artillery designed to breach walls, and build weapons such as barrel grenade launchers. He also spoke of earlier training inputs linked to an LTTE member from Sri Lanka, a communication instructor from the Philippines, and Nepal-linked channels. The questioning suggested both the scale of the organisation's military ambitions and the extent to which those capabilities have come under strain due to sustained operations.Weapons & field systemsDevji told police that the central military commission oversaw efforts to improve the outfit's technical capabilities. Among the weapons and systems referred to during interrogation were AK rifles, SLRs, LMGs, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, 12-bore guns, carbines and tapanchas.He said senior functionaries such as CCMs, SCMs and DVCMs usually carried AK rifles, while ACMs, ACSs and PMs were generally assigned SLRs. He also stated that PLGA teams made barrel grenade launchers, which were developed for their battalion by Madivi Hiduma, besides grenades and 8 mm arms.The questioning also revealed details of the technical department, the Maoist wing tasked with the manufacturing and repair of arms. Devuji said workshops earlier operated in Bhopal and Rourkela in 2007, and in Kolkata in 2011, for making grenades and spare parts. Arms manufacturing also took place in South Bastar and the Karreguttalu forest area, but that activity has now slowed sharply or stopped under security pressure.Nepal connectionDevji disclosed that military training over the years included external instructors and regional linkages. In 1989, an LTTE member from Sri Lanka held a 40-day training camp in the Maad area, where cadres were taught physical fitness, firing practice, guerrilla tactics, military theory, raids and ambushes.He also referred to communication training imparted in 2000 by an instructor from the Philippines in the Maad area. The interrogation further pointed to a Nepal connection. Devji told police that in 1995, senior Maoist leader Basvaraj travelled to Nepal to train cadres of the Nepal Communist Party, according to police sources. The interrogation also referred to the military leadership training programme, described as a refresher course held every two to three years, mainly in South Bastar and Maad. The curriculum covered guerrilla tactics, formations, raids, ambushes and movement patterns.Security pressureSustained pressure from security forces severely impacted the Maoists' technical department, forcing it to shift locations repeatedly. After the arrest of Maoist tech chief Sadanala Ramakrishna in 2012, the department's work largely came to a halt. At present, no arms are being manufactured, Devji told police.He also said that party funds were collected mainly from contractors involved in sand mining, beedi leaf trade, and construction works, as well as from businessmen. He said higher committees passed funds to lower levels, and under the outfit's economic policy, money was retained for a maximum of three years, mostly kept in the form of gold coins.