Top Maoist Leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao, Alias Bhupathi, Surrenders in Gadchiroli

Mumbai, October 15 — In a major setback to the Naxalite movement, Mallojula Venugopal Rao, better known by his aliases Sonu, Bhupathi, or Venugopal, a senior Politburo member and Central Military Commission leader of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), has surrendered before the Gadchiroli police along with more than 60 commanders and cadres.

A seasoned ideologue and military strategist, Bhupathi was one of the most influential figures in the CPI (Maoist) hierarchy, long regarded as the key decision-maker along the Chhattisgarh–Maharashtra–Telangana Red Corridor. He was also the official spokesperson of the organization and carried a reward exceeding ₹6 crore on his head.

The 69-year-old leader’s surrender marks one of the most significant capitulations in the history of India’s Maoist insurgency, dealing a severe blow to a movement that has been on the decline in recent years. The Union government has set March 31, 2026, as the target date for the complete eradication of Left-Wing Extremism across the country — a goal that appears increasingly achievable with the defection of top Maoist leadership.

While officials have yet to make a formal confirmation, a senior Gadchiroli police officer told Deccan Herald, “We are not in a position to comment on the development at this stage.” A formal surrender ceremony is expected to take place at the Gadchiroli Police Headquarters on Wednesday.

Reacting to reports of the surrender, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai expressed optimism that the long-standing battle against extremism is nearing its end. “I am hopeful that the goal of eliminating Naxalism from the country by March 31, 2026, will be achieved. Rapid development will follow across Chhattisgarh, particularly in the Bastar region. It is the assertion of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah that Naxalism will end by March next year,” he said.

Sources indicate that Bhupathi’s surrender took place near Hodri village in Bhamragad tehsil of Gadchiroli district, where several weapons including AK-47s and INSAS rifles were also laid down. The exact inventory of arms surrendered, however, is yet to be released officially.

Bhupathi is believed to have been the mastermind behind several major attacks carried out across Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh during his four-decade-long association with the Maoist movement. His surrender comes weeks after he issued a press release in September, signalling his intention to lay down arms — a move that reportedly encouraged several cadres to follow suit.

Notably, Bhupathi’s wife Vimala Chandra Sidam, also known by her alias Tarakka, a senior member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, had surrendered earlier on January 1, 2025, before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also serves as the state’s Home Minister and Guardian Minister of Gadchiroli.

Bhupathi’s surrender also carries deep personal history. His brother, Mallojula Koteswara Rao, widely known as Kishenji, a prominent Maoist commander, was killed by security forces in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district on November 24, 2011, during an intense encounter. More recently, on September 13, 2025, Kishenji’s wife, Pothula Padmavathi alias Kalpana, surrendered before the Telangana Director General of Police, Dr. Jitender, in Hyderabad.

Security officials view Bhupathi’s surrender as a turning point in India’s decades-long fight against Maoist insurgency, signaling the steady erosion of the CPI (Maoist) leadership structure and morale. With the defection of key strategists and field commanders, the movement — once considered the country’s most formidable internal security challenge — appears to be in its final stages of decline.