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PLGA chief, 41 other Maoist operatives lay down arms before Telangana police
Senior CPI (Maoist) leader Sodi Kesalu and 41 commanders surrendered in Telangana, marking a significant blow to the group, which has lost organizational presence.
Senior Communist Party of India (Maoist) leader Sodi Kesalu alias Malla, who was heading the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion, along with 41 other commanders surrendered on Friday before Telangana director general of police (DGP) B Shivadhar Reddy, police said.
According to police, the group, which emerged from the Karregutta forest region along the Chhattisgarh–Telangana border five days ago, announced their decision to lay down arms after reaching Telangana police headquarters via Mulugu and Jayashankar Bhupalpally districts, under tight security.
Kesalu, also known as Nikhil, was accompanied by Narayana, a Telangana state committee member of the CPI(Maoist), along with divisional committee members and commanders from the Bhadradri, Kothagudem and Alluri Sitarama Raju districts of the banned outfit.
The surrendered cadres handed over a substantial cache of arms, including 36 firearms, five AK-47 rifles, four SLRs, and 1,007 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, police said about 800 grams of gold were surrendered.
Speaking to reporters, DGP Reddy said the total eligible reward amount of ₹1.93 crore will be disbursed to all 42 surrendered cadres.
He said leadership changes within the PLGA had weakened the outfit. “After senior Maoist leader Madvi Hidma reportedly moved from the PLGA to the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, battalion responsibilities were handed over to Badse Deva and Keshava. However, Deva had surrendered before Telangana Police a few days ago, leaving Kesalu in charge,” he said.
With the latest surrenders, the entire Telangana state committee (TSC) of the banned outfit has been effectively neutralised, eliminating its organisational presence in Telangana.
“Telangana is completely free of Maoist activity. Today’s surrender of the remaining underground cadres of the PLGA, along with their sophisticated firearms, can be seen as the complete annihilation of PLGA with its weapons,” he said.
In all, 761 Maoists have surrendered before the Telangana Police since 2024, with 205 having given up arms this year, 509 in 2025 and 47 in 2024. “This reflects the growing trust in the government’s rehabilitation policies and the sustained pressure created by security forces,” Reddy said.
However, five active underground cadres from Telangana remain in various formations across the country outside the state, according to police. They are: Central committee members Muppala Laxman Rao alias Ganapathy and Pasanuri Narahari alias Santhosh; state committee members Jade Ratna Bai alias Sujatha and Vartha Shekhar alias Mangthu, and area committee member Rangaboina Bhagya alias Rupi.
“All these five leaders are operating in other states, including Chhattisgarh. We appeal to these five leaders from Telangana to lay down arms and join the mainstream,” the DGP added
