From govt employee to dreaded Maoist: Chalapati was one of key strategists in ultras' ‘military operations’

VISAKHAPATNAM: Chalapati, who was among the Naxals killed by security forces in an encounter in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, hailed from Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh. He was one of the key strategists in 'military operations' within the Naxal ranks and file in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB). Sixty-two-year-old Chalapati, who carried a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head, was also a member of the central committee, one of the two highest bodies of the Maoists.

Born Pratapareddy Ramachandra Reddy, he assumed the name Chalapati after joining the Naxal movement.

Chalapati was a govt employee before joining the Naxal movement
Chalapati, who was among the Naxals killed by security forces in an encounter in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, hailed from Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh.

He was one of the key strategists in 'military operations' within the Naxal ranks and file in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB).

Sixty-two-year-old Chalapati, who carried a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head, was also a member of the central committee, one of the two highest bodies of the Maoists.

Born Pratapareddy Ramachandra Reddy, he assumed the name Chalapati after joining the Naxal movement. He went off by several aliases, including Appa Rao, Jayaram, and Ramu.

Chalapati was known for his sensitivity as a govt employee before taking up arms. He became one of the most dreaded Naxals after undergoing arms training in Narayanapatna and Bandugaon areas of Koraput district in Odisha.

Later, he provided military training to hundreds of Maoists in the same area.

He worked in Vizianagaram rural area as a district committee member under Maoist 'commander' Ganti Ramesh, also known as Rajanna, who was killed in the Kopardung encounter in the late 90s on the Andhra-Odisha border.

Chalapati, a native of Chittoor district, was behind the kidnapping of Malkangiri collector Vineel Krishna in 2011 and the double murder of MLC Kidari Someswara Rao and former Araku MLA Siveri Soma in Livitiputtu of Dumbriguda mandal near Araku in 2018. He guided the Naxal cadre in both incidents.

Interestingly, Chalapati was a former state govt employee, having worked as a district sericulture officer in Vizianagaram district in the early 80s.

He was provided with a jeep and a govt quarter, which became the centre for meetings and activities of PWG workers and sympathisers before he became a full-time member of the banned outfit in 1988.