130 Maoist Cadres Surrender in Hyderabad

In a significant blow to India's Maoist insurgency, 130 cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) surrendered to authorities in Hyderabad on March 7, handing over 124 weapons in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. The event, held at the state's Integrated Command and Control Centre, marked the formal disbandment of the group's armed wing, the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), which had been responsible for numerous attacks on security forces in Chhattisgarh and neighboring states.

The surrendered cadres included three state committee members, one regional committee member, 10 divisional committee members, 46 area committee members, and 70 other party members. Most hailed from Chhattisgarh, with four from Telangana and one from Andhra Pradesh. Among the weapons deposited were one INSAS light machine gun, 31 AK-47 rifles, 21 INSAS rifles, 20 self-loading rifles, 18 .303 rifles, and 33 other arms, many of which officials said had been looted from police forces. Telangana Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy described the development as a major success for the state's anti-Naxal operations, crediting intensified security...