130 Maoists Surrender in Telangana’s Biggest-Ever Laydown of Arms

Hyderabad, March 2026 : In the largest surrender of Maoist cadres in Telangana to date, 130 members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) laid down their arms before Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy in Hyderabad on Saturday.

The surrender ceremony took place at the Integrated Command Control Centre in the presence of senior officials including Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy. According to the police, the event marked a significant milestone in the state’s efforts to curb Left-Wing Extremism.

Officials said that out of the 130 cadres who surrendered, 125 belonged to neighbouring Chhattisgarh, while others were from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. During the event, the cadres handed over a total of 124 weapons along with a large cache of ammunition.

The surrendered arms included one Light Machine Gun, 31 AK-47 rifles, 21 INSAS rifles, 20 Self-Loading Rifles (SLR), 18 .303 rifles and 33 other firearms. In addition, the cadres also handed over 5,205 rounds of live ammunition of various calibres to the police.

Police officials said the surrender included several senior members of the organisation. Among them were three State Committee members, one Regional Committee member, ten Divisional Committee members, 40 Area Committee members and 76 party members.

Authorities also stated that many of the cadres belonged to various operational units of the armed wing of the Maoists, the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). With this large-scale surrender, police believe the PLGA structure in Telangana has effectively collapsed.

According to officials, those who surrendered included 42 cadres from the first battalion of the PLGA, 30 members of the Telangana State Committee, 32 from the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, 16 from the second Central Regional Squad and 10 staff members associated with Central Committee leaders.

The Director General of Police said the development indicates that the organisational structure of the banned outfit in Telangana has almost completely disintegrated. He declared that with this surrender, the Telangana State Committee of the Maoist organisation has effectively ceased to exist.

Police data shows that around 250 Maoists have surrendered to the Telangana police over the past four to five months. Since 2024, a total of 721 cadres associated with the banned organisation have laid down their arms in the state.

Officials said that at present only seven active underground cadres from Telangana remain in various Maoist formations across the country.

Addressing the gathering, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said violence has no place in a democratic system and urged the remaining Maoist leaders to join the mainstream. He specifically appealed to the CPI (Maoist) general secretary Muppala Lakshmana Rao, also known as Ganapathi, to surrender.

The Chief Minister said that the government is determined to eliminate Maoist violence and noted that the Centre aims to make the country free of Maoist activity by March 31.

Revanth Reddy revealed that during a meeting with six senior Maoist leaders who had surrendered on February 27, they indicated that many underground cadres—including Ganapathi—could be willing to surrender if certain assurances were provided by the government.

He said he subsequently met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi to convey the proposals made by the Maoist leadership.

According to the Chief Minister, the Union Home Minister made it clear that Maoists must first lay down their arms before any dialogue could proceed. After the meeting, Revanth Reddy said he communicated this message back to the Maoist leadership.

The Chief Minister also assured surrendered cadres that the government would adopt a humanitarian approach toward their rehabilitation. He said the government is prepared to withdraw legal cases wherever possible within the framework of the law, and if required, a committee would be formed to review such cases.

He further announced that the state government would ensure better medical care and support services for those who surrender. The government is also considering increasing the financial rehabilitation package offered to former Maoists to help them reintegrate into society.