We were arrested before surrendering: Former top Maoist commander Devuji

Hyderabad: Top Communist Party of India (Maoist) commander and key “strategist” of the banned outfit, Thippiri Tirupati, also known as Devuji, has claimed that police arrested him and others before their surrender to the Telangana police on February 24.

He vowed to continue fighting for people’s problems within the legal framework.

Devuji, who led an underground life for over four decades in the armed struggle, also said that he and other members did not surrender to the police due to fear of death, but to work for the public carrying their ideology, Marxism, Leninism and Maoism, within the legal framework.

He said on Friday, March 13, that he never feared death, and if that were the case, he would have surrendered like key Maoist leaders Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu and Ashanna alias Satish before the Maharashtra government in October last year.

Devuji had no plans to leave the Maoist path, police sources earlier said.

“When Operation Kagar was going on in full fledge, under unavoidable situations, we took shelter in different places to strengthen the party. In those circumstances, the Telangana police arrested us. After the arrest, if they wanted, they could have killed us. But what they told us is that the killing was not their policy, and they will show surrender. But I was not ready to surrender,” Deviju told TV channels.

Will not give up Marxism, Leninism and Maoism; Devuji says

Dismissing the notion that they surrendered before the police, the former Maoist leader said that earlier they used to solve people’s problems being underground, now they will do the same openly, using legal methods.

Deviju said he would not give up the ideology of Marxism, Leninism and Maoism, and it would be the centre of their approach for solving people’s problems in future. “So it is not correct to say that we surrendered or joined the mainstream. We are always in touch with thousands of people,” he said.

Replying to a query, he said he was not the general secretary of the party, just a Central Committee member.

Had there been a Central Committee or politburo, there would have been that agenda (of his becoming the general Secretary of CPI Maoist),” he said.

On February 24, Devuji surrendered before the Telangana police, after over four decades of underground life.

Besides Devuji, another central committee member, Malla Raji Reddy, and two other ultras, Bade Chokka Rao, alias Jagan and Nune Narasimha Reddy, alias Ganganna also laid down their arms.

Devuji is a native of Korutla town, Jagtial district in Telangana. His father, Venkata Narsaiah, was a farmer. He joined CPI (ML) People’s War in January 1982 and has mostly operated in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.