Maoist leaders Sunitha and Harish surrender before Telangana’s Rachakonda police

Two senior underground leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist) have surrendered before Telangana’s Rachakonda police on Thursday (August 21, 2025) after years of underground activity.

Kakarala Sunitha alias Badri, a senior State Committee member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DK SZC), and Chennuri Harish alias Ramanna, an Area Committee member of the Telangana State Committee, formally gave themselves up before Rachakonda Police Commissioner G. Sudheer Babu. The police said both the leaders, influenced by welfare measures and rehabilitation schemes announced by the Telangana government, chose to return to a peaceful life with their families.

Rachakonda Police Commissioner G. Sudheer Babu addressing a press conference on the surrender of Maoist leaders Kakarala Sunitha and Chennuri Harish who surrendered on Thursday (August 21, 2025)
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BY ARRANGEMENT

Sunitha was active in Maoist movement for nearly 4 decades

Sunitha, aged 62, has been active in the Maoist movement for nearly four decades. Drawn into radical politics during her student days in Rajahmundry in the mid-1980s, she worked in Vijayawada and Guntur before shifting into the Nallamala forests in 1992. She later held key responsibilities in the Andhra–Odisha Border region and eventually in Dandakaranya, where she played an important role in the party’s political and ideological training units. Her husband and fellow Maoist leader, T.L.N. Chalam, was killed during an encounter in June this year at Annapuram National Park.

Harish joined armed movement in 2020

Harish, aged 35, hailing from Bhupalpally district, was introduced to Maoist ideology during his school years. After brief stints in prison and work with front organisations, he formally joined the armed movement in 2020. Rising through the ranks, he became part of the Mangi–Indravelli Area Committee and was promoted as an Area Committee member in 2024. He took part in multiple encounters, including the Irpagutta exchange in June this year, where Telangana State Committee member Bhaskar and three cadres were killed.

The police commissioner described their surrender as an outcome of sustained efforts by the Telangana police to encourage underground cadres to rejoin civil life. “We appeal to all Maoists from Telangana to return to their villages and contribute to the State’s development. The government will extend full rehabilitation support and benefits to those who surrender,” he said.

“Both Sunitha and Harish will be eligible for assistance under the rehabilitation scheme, which promises financial aid, livelihood support, and protection for surrendered cadres,” added the officer.

Mr. Sudheer Babu expressed hope that more Maoists would be persuaded to abandon the underground movement in the coming months, describing the surrender of senior leaders as a morale boost for ongoing counter-insurgency efforts.