Maoist leaders surrender, confirm new general secretary
After years underground, senior Maoist leaders Pulluri Prasad Rao and Bandi Prakash surrendered to Telangana police this week.
Their reasons? Health issues, disagreements within the party, and steady police pressure.
Rao—who had a ₹25 lakh bounty (sources variously report the bounty as ₹25 lakh or ₹40 lakh)—used the moment to confirm Thippiri Tirupathi (Devuji) as the new CPI (Maoist) general secretary, following Basavaraju's passing in May 2025.
Hopes for peace and stability
These high-profile surrenders have seriously weakened Maoist leadership in Telangana, with only a handful of top members left.
Rao also revealed there's a split inside the party over who should lead.
With more than 170 recent surrenders across states and ongoing security operations like Operation Kagar, authorities hope this signals real progress toward peace and stability in affected areas.