Nine Maoists Surrender in Andhra Pradesh, Ending State Activity

In a significant development ahead of the Indian government's deadline to eradicate Left Wing Extremism, nine Maoist cadres, including a senior leader from the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee, surrendered to authorities in Andhra Pradesh on March 30, 2026. The surrenders occurred in Amaravati, where Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta presented the group to the media, marking what officials described as the effective end of Maoist activity in the state.

The most prominent among the surrendered was Chelluri Narayana Rao, also known as Suresh or Somanna, a Central Committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and secretary of the Andhra-Odisha Border committee. A native of Srikakulam district, Rao had been involved with the group for nearly 36 years, rising through various ranks and participating in major incidents, including attacks that killed politicians and police personnel in 2018. A bounty of 25 lakh rupees had been placed on his head. Accompanying him were eight other cadres: Kartam Lachhu, a company platoon commander in the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army; Podiyam Raje, an area committee member; Kartam Adame; Muchaki Masa; Madvi Jogi; Muchaki...