Mumbai: In a major blow to the Maoist movement in the state, senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao (69) and 60 other cadres have surrendered before police in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, officials said on Tuesday.
Bhupathi, who was Central Committee member and Polit Buro member and is known by many aliases such as Bhupathi, Sonu, Sonudada, Vivek, Abhay, Lachhanna and Laxmirajan carries reward of Rs 6 crore announced by the government, an official said.
Weapons Seized During Surrender
According to the reliable source in the anti naxal operations, the naxals turned themselves in before the police on Tuesday morning and were brought to Gadchiroli police headquarters in police vehicles from Hodri village, where naxals also surrendered their 54 weapons before the police. The seized weapons includes seven AK 47 Rifles and nine INSAS rifles, sources said.
Those who surrendered included a member of the central committee, 3 Dandkaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) Members and 10 members of a divisional committee of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), the official said.
Internal Conflict Led to Surrender
The police sources said that, Venugopal was considered one of the most influential strategists in the Maoist organisation and had long supervised platoon operations along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border. However, growing differences between him and the top Naxal leadership in recent months led to internal conflict, they said.
Bhupathi had claimed that the armed struggle failed and appealed for a shift towards peace and dialogue, citing diminishing public support and the loss of hundreds of cadres. His stand met with resistance from other senior cadres who decided to continue the fight under another leader, the sources said.
"Under pressure from the central Naxal leadership, Bhupathi eventually agreed to lay down arms, announced his exit from the outfit, and surrendered with his followers before the Gadchiroli police," officials said.
Family Members Also Surrendered Earlier
Earlier this year, Bhupathi's wife Tarakka also surrendered. She was a member of the Dandkaranya special zonal committee of the outlawed movement.
In an event on October 3, at State police headquarters, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had said that the naxal movement in the state was on verge of end.
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Steady Decline of Maoist Presence
In recent months, Gadchiroli district has witnessed a steady stream of Naxalites surrendering before the police. 73 hardcore Maoists have surrendered before the Gadchiroli Police from 2022 till date, with 40 hardcore Maoists surrendering since 2025 till last month, police said.
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