Senior Maoist quits, 3 others surrender before Odisha Police

Sudheer has been questioning the non-tribal leaders over killing of innocent tribals after branding them as police informers and accusing them of taking undue advantage of tribals’ simplicity, officials said.

A senior Maoist leader has left the insurgent ranks allegedly due to differences with the non-tribal leaders in the outfit who were ordering the killing of innocent tribal villagers after falsely declaring them to be police informers, said police officials. In another related incident, two other Maoists from Odisha, who were involved in several encounters with the police, surrendered, dealing a double blow to the rebels.

A Maoist claimed that Sudheer was expelled after he eloped with a girl named Mahita, deserting his wife and children. (ANI Photo/Representative use)

Senior police officials in Odisha said Sudheer alias Chikudu Chinna Rao, who was a divisional committee member and commander of Pedabayalu and Korukonda area committee of Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of Maoists, walked out due to sharp differences with non-tribals such as Gajarla Ravi, secretary of the above mentioned committee, Aruna, Mahendra and Suresh. Sudheer himself is a tribal leader and a native of Pedabayalu Mandal in Andhra Pradesh, the officials said.

The officials said that Sudheer has been questioning the non-tribal leaders over killing of innocent tribals after branding them as police informers and accusing them of taking undue advantage of tribals’ simplicity.

However, Aruna, secretary of Visakhapatnam East Division, claimed in a press release that Sudheer had been expelled from the party as he eloped with a girl named Mahita, deserting his wife and children.

Podiami had a reward of ₹2 lakh on her head and she had participated in many attacks on security forces in Sukma district.

Similarly, Raidhar Dhurua alias Raidhar was given formal training of arms and IEDs by the Maoists and she conducted meetings to motivate villagers to join their frontal organisations and the militias.

DGP Abhay said that in the last two years more than 20 active Maoist cadres and hundreds of active militias/Maoist sympathizers have surrendered in Malkangiri district. He said Maoist cadres willing to join the mainstream could take advantage of Odisha’s surrender and rehabilitation policy for the rebels.