Team News Riveting
Jagdalpur, September 13
In a devastating blow to the Maoist movement in Bastar, top leader of outlawed organisation Pothula Padmavathi alias Sujatha surrendered before the Telangana police on Saturday in Hyderabad.
Now 62, she had been underground for 43 years and served as a Central Committee Member (CCM) of the CPI (Maoist) party. She is the only woman member on the party’s Central Committee. She laid down her arms before Director General of Telangana Police Dr Jitender.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattlingam said Sujatha’s surrender was a clear acknowledgment of the futility of continuing violence in the face of the robust, multi-pronged counter-Maoist strategy being implemented in Bastar. The proactive policing efforts, combined with the Government’s strong focus on development and welfare, have weakened the Maoists’ influence and eroded their support base on the ground.
Sujatha, a senior Central committee member of banned and prohibited CPI Maoist outfit was in-charge of South Sub zonal Bureau of Dandakarnya Special Zonal Committee. She was carrying a reward money of Rs 40 lakh over her head and was wanted in more than 72 cases registered across various districts in Bastar Range. In Telangana, she was carrying Rs 25 lakh. Sources said accumulating the rewards of other states, she was carrying a bounty of Rs 1 crore on her head.
Welcoming Sujatha’s decision to return to the mainstream and choose a path of peace, dignity, and hope, Sundarraj appealed to all remaining cadres and leaders of the banned outfit to lay down arms, and join the mainstream so that a secure and prosperous future can be built for the people of Bastar and beyond. Moreover, Maoist cadres and its leadership don’t have another option except to shun violence and join the mainstream.
As one of the senior-most leaders of the Maoist outfit, Sujatha’s decision to surrender reflects the deep crisis of confidence that the Maoist ranks are facing in recent times, Sundarraj said. The significant development is the direct result of relentless and aggressive operations launched by Bastar Police, in close coordination with Central Armed Police Forces, intelligence agencies, and security units across interstate border areas. The joint efforts have dealt major blows to Maoist formations and disrupted their command structure in Left Wing Extremism-affected regions.
In recent months, the Maoists have suffered successive setbacks in Bastar Range and other LWE affected Districts of Chhattisgarh, including the neutralization of senior leaders, large recoveries of weapons and explosives, and the dismantling of multiple hideouts in their erstwhile strongholds. These sustained operations have denied them space to regroup or expand, forcing even their top leadership to lose confidence in the outfit’s future.
