Maoist PGLA fortress collapses with top commander's surrender

Hyderabad: In a major setback to CPI (Maoist), its last remaining fortress nearly collapsed after PLGA Battalion Commander Badse Sukka, alias Deva, surrendered with a Colt rifle and a cache of arms. Nine team members also surrendered to Telangana police before DGP B Shivadhar Reddy on Saturday.

Operating across Sukma, Dantewada, and Bijapur districts in Chhattisgarh, this battalion once commanded by dreaded Maoist leader Madvi Hidma remained renowned for its firepower and discipline, with 80 percent of fighters armed with automatic or semi-automatic rifles, AK-series weapons, self-loading rifles, and light machine guns.

The 49-year-old Badse Sukka ranks as the second-most important tribal leader in CPI (Maoist). A contemporary of Madvi Hidma who was recently killed in an Andhra Pradesh encounter he joined CPI ML PWG in 2003 in Puvvarthi, influenced by their friendship. Both Hidma and Deva come from the same village- Puvvarthi.

Sukka mastered military strategies, explosives procurement, firearm manufacturing, and IEDs under Hidma. When Hidma was promoted and left the PLGA Battalion in November 2023, he appointed Deva as his successor and commander. A ruthless strategist, Sukka orchestrated ambushes like Jheram Ghati, which killed Chhattisgarh Minister Mahendra Karma and other Congress leaders. This surrender signals the death knell for the PLGA and Telangana State Committee.

Surrendered cadres handed over PLGA arms dumps linked to Hidma and Deva. The haul included 48 weapons- two light machine guns, one US-made Colt rifle, one Israeli Tavor rifle, eight AK-47s, 10 INSAS rifles, eight SLRs, four bundle grenade launchers, 11 single-shot weapons, two grenades, one air gun, and 2,206 rounds of ammunition.

"In 2024, heavy police suppression in south Bastar forced Devoji, Hidma, Chandranna, Damodar, and other formations to shift to Karreguttalu Hill (KGH). Deva managed KGH security and logistics, reorganizing PLGA units to shield them from special forces raids involving thousands of personnel. Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and NIA had announced a Rs 75 lakh reward on him," a senior Telangana anti-Naxal officer said.

Simultaneously, the Telangana State Committee teeters on collapse, with only one member left after Kankanala Raji Reddy, alias Venkatesh, surrendered on Saturday. Joining CPI ML PW in April 1997, Reddy became District Committee Member in 2010 and State Committee Member in December 2019. He oversaw erstwhile Warangal and Karimnagar districts key Maoist hubs in north Telangana building courier networks, activating front organizations, and establishing guerrilla bases and logistics dumps at Karreguttalu. Post-surrender, only TSC Secretary Damodhar remains.

"For today's surrender of 20 underground Maoist cadres with weapons, Rs 1.81 crore in eligible rewards will be disbursed via demand drafts or cheques under state and central rehabilitation policies after documentation and bank account setup. Each has received Rs 25,000 interim relief, with further benefits forthcoming. The Telangana State Police assures all entitled support for dignified reintegration," said Telangana DGP B Shivadhaar Reddy.

Currently, only 17 active underground cadres from Telangana remain across formations nationwide; 33 others on the list have reportedly quit CPI (Maoist), per senior surrendered cadres.