Senior Maoist couple surrenders before Telangana’s Rachakonda Police after 45 years underground

Two senior leaders of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), including the founding member of the party’s cultural wing and a contemporary of revolutionary balladeer Gaddar, surrendered before the Rachakonda Police Commissioner on Thursday (July 17, 2025), marking a significant move away from decades of insurgent activity in Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

The couple, identified as Mala Sanjeev alias Lengu Dada and Perugula Parvathi alias Bontala Parvathi or Deena, held key positions in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC). Sanjeev, now 62, is originally from Yapral in Medchal–Malkajgiri district and served as a State Committee member and Secretariat member of Chaitanya Natya Manch (CNM), the cultural arm of the CPI (Maoist). His wife Parvathi, aged 50, from Vankeshwaram village in Nagarkurnool, held the rank of State Committee member and was part of CNM’s Cultural Sub-Committee.

The police said that their surrender was influenced by the Telangana government’s rehabilitation policies and welfare schemes aimed at reintegrating former Maoists into civilian life. The couple expressed their desire to live peacefully with their families and give up the armed movement they were part of for over four decades.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner, G. Sudheer Babu, described the surrender as “a moral victory” for Telangana Police’s sustained and inclusive approach towards counterinsurgency. “Their decision reflects the growing confidence in our rehabilitation policy and the realisation that violence has no place in today’s democratic society,” he said.

Sanjeev’s involvement with Maoist movement from 1980

Sanjeev’s involvement with the Maoist movement began in 1980 through the Jana Natya Mandali (JNM), the cultural wing of the CPI (ML) People’s War, led by Gummadi Vittal, also known as Gaddar. Between 1980 and 1986, Sanjeev played a crucial role in spreading the party’s ideology through performances across 16 States alongside cultural figures like Dappu Ramesh and Divakar.

He later joined the armed wing, working in multiple dalams across Telangana and was eventually promoted as State Committee Member in 2001. After being transferred to Chhattisgarh in 2003, he became the in-charge of CNM under DKSZC, where he remained active until his surrender.

Parvathi entered Maoist ranks in 1992

Parvathi entered the Maoist ranks in 1992 and worked in several dalams in the Nallamala region and Visakhapatnam district before being posted to DKSZC in 2007. That same year, she married Sanjeev and continued to perform, compose and train Maoist cadres in Hindi, Telugu, and Koya languages. She was elevated to State Committee Member status in 2018.

Both had previously survived exchanges of fire with security forces, Sanjeev in 2002 and 2005, and Parvathi in 2017.

Rachakonda Police urged other underground Maoists from Telangana to follow suit and return to their native villages. “We appeal to all those still underground to return and take part in rebuilding their communities. The door to peace and dignity is open,” said the Police Commissioner.

The Police also warned of legal action against individuals operating under the guise of mass organisations with the intent to disrupt law and order. Citing a decline in Maoist recruitment and a shift in youth attitudes, authorities described Maoism as an outdated and failed ideology that has lost relevance in contemporary society.

“Lay down arms and leave the underground. Join the mainstream of public life,” the Commissioner said.