Shift from guerrilla tactics led to heavy losses, top Maoist admits

Hyderabad: The recent surrender of senior Maoist leader Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devji has given security agencies a rare inside view of the operational setbacks that have weakened the insurgency, including what he described as a flawed shift in military strategy that cost the outfit heavily on the ground.Devji, a central committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), is believed to have told investigators that the organisation suffered serious losses after moving from guerrilla warfare to mobile warfare, calling the transition a ‘strategic mistake', sources familiar with the questioning said.
Known within the outfit for his role in military planning, he is understood to have explained that the new approach exposed cadres to direct confrontation with security forces, undermining the advantages of surprise and mobility that had sustained the insurgency for decades. Decision not implementedAccording to sources, even after an Aug 2024 leadership meeting resolved to revert to guerrilla warfare, the decision was not effectively implemented. Devji reportedly attributed the continued losses to poor coordination between units and a lack of reliable communication channels, which hampered operational recovery. Fragmentation within the organisation and shrinking manpower further limited its ability to return to earlier tactics. Officials explained that guerrilla warfare involves small, decentralised groups striking opportunistically and melting back into difficult terrain, while mobile warfare requires larger formations to attack enemy positions and relocate quickly. Under intensified security operations, particularly in Maoist strongholds of Chhattisgarh, such tactics became increasingly risky. Recruitment pressures, supply constraints and constant surveillance further tightened the operational environment, making sustained engagements difficult.Internal disagreementsDuring the interrogation, Devji reportedly showed visible displeasure when discussions turned to senior leaders Mallojula Venugopal alias Sonu and Takkelapalli Vasudeva Rao alias Ashanna, indicating that internal disagreements and leadership decisions influenced the organisation's direction at the highest levels. Investigators are treating Devji's disclosures as a candid internal assessment of how the outfit evaluated its declining military effectiveness under multi-front pressure. Sources said Devji surrendered along with other cadres amid an intensified second phase of operations on the Chhattisgarh side of Karreguttalu. However, another source claimed he was picked up and taken into custody before being persuaded to surrender. Telangana police are expected to make a formal announcement once the surrender process is ‘formalised.'Thippiri Tirupathi, also known as Devji, Sanjiv and Chetan, is a 60-year-old native of Ambedkar Nagar in Korutla, Jagtial district of Telangana, and belongs to the SC (Madiga) community. His early political involvement dates back to the Radical Students Union in the early 1980s.Officials describe him as a central committee member, chief of the central military commission and a designated future general secretary — a position that, if confirmed by the leadership, would have made him the outfit's first Dalit chief. He has studied up to the Intermediate level and is married; he has two brothers and one sister.