Senior woman Naxalite carrying Rs 45 lakh reward in two states gunned down in Chhattisgarh

Dantewada (Chhattisgarh): A senior woman Naxalite carrying a collective reward of Rs 45 lakh in two states was killed in an encounter with security personnel in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Monday, police officials said.

Gummadiveli Renuka, the deceased cadre, was a law graduate and was active in the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) since 1996 and carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh in Chhattisgarh and Rs 20 lakh in neighbouring Telangana, he said.

The gunfight broke out at around 9 am in a forest along the border of Dantewada and Bijapur districts in Bastar region when District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel were out on an anti-Naxalite operation, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.

The operation was launched in the forested hills of Nelgoda, Ikeli and Belnar villages along the border of Geedam (Dantewada) and Bhairamgarh (Bijapur) based on inputs about the presence of Naxalites, he said.

The exchange of fire lasted for about two hours following which police found the body of Gummadiveli Renuka, also known by aliases Bhanu, Chaite, Saraswati and Damyanti, he said, adding she is a resident Kadvaendi village in Warangal in Telangana.

An Insas rifle, explosives, laptop and Maoist literature were recovered from the encounter site, the official said.

Renuka, a member of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. which is the strongest formation of Maoists, was in charge of the press team of Central Regional Bureau (CRB) of the outlawed movement, Bastar Range Inspector General of Police Sundarraj P said.

"A law graduate, Renuka had joined the outlawed outfit in 1996 and was elevated to divisional committee member (DVCM) rank in 2003. She had worked with senior Maoists like special zonal committee (SZC) member Krishna Anna in Andhra Pradesh, central committee member Dula Dada and SZC member Ramanna," he said.

After Ramanna died in 2020 due to COVID-19, Renuka was elevated as SZC member and made press team in-charge in CRB. he said.

"She was tasked with issuing press releases on behalf of the Naxal organization and printing and publishing various Maoist magazines like Prabhat, Mahila Margam, Awami Jung, People's March, Jhankar, Sangharshtar Mahila, Pituri, Midangur, Bhumkal Sandesh. Her brother GV Prasad alias Gudsa Usendi, a SZC member, had surrendered in 2014 in Telangana," the IG informed.

Renuka got married in 2005 to Shankamuri Apparao alias Ravi, a central committee member who was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh in 2010, Sundarraj said.

With the latest action, 135 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this year. Of them, 119 were eliminated in the Bastar division comprising seven districts, including Dantewada and Bijapur.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has said under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government has resolved to eradicate Naxalism before March 31, 2026.

On Saturday, security forces gunned down 18 Naxalites, including 11 women, in twin encounters in Sukma and Bijapur districts of the Bastar region.

Earlier this month, security forces killed 30 ultras in two separate encounters in Bijapur and Kanker districts under the Bastar region.