After major CPI (Maoist) setback in Telangana, focus now on Jharkhand

HYDERABAD: After a major setback to the CPI (Maoist) in Telangana following the surrender of designated chief Devji alias Tippiri Tirupathi, central committee member Malla Rajireddy alias Sangram, and 50 other cadres, security agencies shifted their attention to Jharkhand, now seen as one of the last remaining strongholds of the organisation's eastern structure.

With sustained encounters and operations in Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh reducing the leadership presence in those states, officials indicated that residual activity was largely confined to parts of Odisha and the Jharkhand belt under the Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB).



A source in anti-Naxal intelligence agencies said the remaining senior leadership in and around the Saranda forests of Jharkhand had come under the scanner. Communist Party of India (Maoist) central committee member Misir Besra and Pusnur Narahari alias Tech Viswanath were among those believed to be operating in the region. Narahari was described in security inputs as an alternate central committee member.

Another senior functionary, Lalchand Hemram alias Anmol Da, was also believed to be part of the central committee layer linked to the Jharkhand theatre.

Security officials earlier stated that, following recent encounters in Jharkhand, including operations in the Saranda area, the central committee presence linked to the state had reduced significantly.

Centre steps up co-ordinated operations
A senior police official in Telangana said, "Security forces intensified anti-Maoist operations in the state, with a focus on the Saranda–Kolhan region." Officials indicated a drop in Maoist strength in the area following sustained operations.

Officials said the approach included continued combing of forest areas as well as efforts to secure surrenders, as agencies worked towards further weakening the ERB network.

Deadline-driven push
Security agencies set internal targets linked to the broader effort to curb Left Wing Extremism across states. With much of southern and central India witnessing a decline in Maoist activity, the remaining clusters in Jharkhand and parts of Odisha became the focus of co-ordinated action.

According to sources in APSIB, around 60 Maoists are currently active in Odisha. In the Andhra–Odisha Special Zonal Committee, only Suresh, who headed it, remained. In Telangana, Damodar, the head of the Telangana State Committee, has yet to surrender.