Maoist commanders Rupesh, Sonu surrender; historic shift in Red Corridor
Big news from central India: two top Maoist commanders, Rupesh (aka T Vasudev Rao) and Sonu (aka Bhupati), have surrendered to authorities.
Rupesh, once carrying a ₹1 crore bounty, gave up his arms in Bastar on October 17 along with hundreds of followers.
Officials are calling this a "historic shift" in the decades-long conflict known as the Red Corridor.
Growing number of surrenders
These surrenders are exposing serious divisions inside the Maoist ranks and a growing push for peace.
Rupesh shared that their late leader Basavaraju had expressed a desire to end the armed struggle and explore peace talks with the government before he was killed, urging an end to violence.
Since January 2024 alone, over 2,100 rebels have laid down arms—pointing to a major shift away from armed struggle and toward resolving things through dialogue.