HYDERABAD: A total of 130 cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), including senior commanders of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), surrendered before Telangana chief minister A. Revanth Reddy on March 7, 2026, in a major setback to the Maoist movement.
The surrendered cadres included PLGA Battalion company commanders Endri Kalithram alias Uike Kallu and Korsa Lakku, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee member Chalasani Navatha alias Chandra, regional committee member Irpa Ramu alias Vinod, and several divisional and area committee leaders.
Police said the cadres belonged to multiple Maoist formations, including the PLGA 1st Battalion, Telangana State Committee, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, and the 2nd Central Regional Command Company.
Large cache of weapons surrendered
Along with the cadres, a total of 124 firearms and 5,205 rounds of ammunition of various calibres were surrendered. The weapons included one light machine gun, 31 AK-47 rifles, 21 INSAS rifles, 20 self-loading rifles, 18 .303 rifles, two pistols, and several other weapons including carbines, bolt-action rifles, single-shot guns and air guns.
Explosives and related equipment, including eight grenades, one under-barrel grenade launcher and six UBGL shells, were also handed over.
Officials said the surrender of such a large quantity of weapons was among the highest in recent times in the country in terms of both numbers and type of arms associated with the PLGA.
Police say Maoist structure weakened
The Telangana police said the surrender dealt a severe blow to the CPI (Maoist) organisation in Telangana and adjoining Dandakaranya areas.
Police officials added that the PLGA described by Maoists as one of their key "magic weapons" had effectively lost its operational presence in the region.
According to official data, 165 Maoist cadres have surrendered in 2026 so far, including two Central Committee members, seven State Committee members and several divisional leaders.
Authorities said only seven active underground Maoist cadres native to Telangana remain in various formations across the country.
Rehabilitation benefits for surrendered cadres
Under the Telangana government's rehabilitation policy, surrendered cadres will receive financial assistance based on their rank. State committee members are eligible for ₹20 lakh each, while divisional and company commanders will receive ₹5 lakh.
Area committee members and platoon commanders are entitled to ₹4 lakh each, while party members will receive ₹1 lakh.
Officials said the total reward amount eligible for the 130 surrendered cadres is ₹4.1 crore. An interim relief of ₹25,000 has already been given to each cadre, with the remaining assistance to be disbursed after documentation and bank account formalities are completed.
Appeal to remaining Maoist cadres
The surrender followed an appeal made by chief minister A. Revanth Reddy on October 21, 2025, urging Maoist cadres to give up violence and return to mainstream society.
Telangana Director General of Police praised the efforts of the Special Intelligence Branch for facilitating the surrender and reiterated the government's appeal to remaining underground cadres to "lay down arms and join the mainstream of public life".