Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh DGP Harish Kumar Gupta claimed on Monday that “Left Wing Extremism (LWE) has come to an end in the state”, after the surrender of nine Maoists, including C Narayana Rao, secretary of the Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) Special Zone Committee and Central Committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist).
The surrenders came a day ahead of the deadline set by Union home minister Amit Shah to end LWE in the country. The state police has contributed its bit towards this goal, the DGP said.
Rao had operated in the Maoist movement for 36 years, Gupta said. He was involved in several major offences, including the 2018 murder of MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao, the 2001 killing of CI Gandhi, and the 1997 killing of head constable Narendra Das, it was alleged.
After joing the Maoist movement in 1990, Rao rose through the ranks from Area Committee member to Central Committee member and as AOB Special Zone Committee secretary until his surrender.
“The Centre made a promise that it would bring an end to LWE before March 31, 2026. In this process, we did our bit over the last two years. Today, LWE has come to an end in Andhra Pradesh,” Gupta said at a press conference.
The DGP said the police gave a call to the Maoists to surrender and integrate into the mainstream society. Maoist underground movement in Andhra Pradesh has reduced to zero active cadre presence, reflecting sustained pressure through intelligence-based operations, he claimed.
Gupta appreciated the role of the Greyhounds, Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), and district police units for their coordinated efforts in counter-insurgency operations across the state.
Security forces assisted neighbouring states, including Chhattisgarh and Odisha, in multiple anti-Maoist operations during the period, he said.
The police said there were 18 exchanges of fire, 81 arrests, and 106 surrenders, taking the total number of actions to 205 in all.
Several of the surrendered cadres had joined the movement between 2017 and 2023 and were involved in ambushes, attacks on security camps, and other violent incidents, the authorities noted.
The seized materials included Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs), shells, ammunition, detonators, gelatin sticks, CORDEX wire, and manpacks used for communication.
Declining support base, disillusionment with ideology, and attractive rehabilitation policies offered by the state government resulted in the surrender of Maoists, Gupta added.
