Telangana DGP Shivadhar Reddy urges CPI (Maoists) cadres to surrender
Telangana DGP Shivadhar Reddy urges CPI (Maoists) cadres to surrender
Hyderabad, Telangana Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy on Wednesday urged members of the outlawed CPI to surrender.
Shivadhar Reddy, who assumed charge as the new DGP, said that due to efforts by the Telangana Police, several Maoist cadres — including those from Chhattisgarh and Central Committee member Padmavati alias Sujata — have come out and surrendered over the last five to six months.
Reddy, a 1994-batch officer who was serving as chief of the Telangana Intelligence Department, succeeds Jitender, who superannuated on Tuesday.
Talking to reporters here, Reddy urged the Maoists to join the mainstream. “We will be sympathetic towards you. There will be no harassment from the police side, so you can surrender. We are here to help you,” he said.
He added that Padmavati was undergoing medical treatment with police help. “So come out of the Maoist party. We will stand by you. We are here to welcome you,” he said.
Referring to the statement of senior CPI leader and politburo member Mallojula Venugopal alias Sonu, a native of Telangana, in support of laying down arms, Reddy said Venugopal had issued both an oral and written statement on August 15, claiming they were ready for a ceasefire and to come out into the open.
“This was decided even before their general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju was killed by security forces in Chhattisgarh on May 21,” he said.
The internal conflict within the proscribed organisation surfaced after Venugopal’s letter called for “temporarily renouncing armed struggle” and “laying down arms.”
Asked about the CPI central committee dismissing the letter as Venugopal’s personal view, the DGP said, “We think Venugopal issued the statement only after it was discussed in their central committee and politburo when the then general secretary Basavaraju was alive.”
On Maoist spokesman Jagan’s condemnation of Venugopal’s statement, Reddy said there was no use in the Maoists squabbling among themselves. “The state power is larger. So, come out and surrender and be part of the development,” he said.
Asked about talks with Maoists, the DGP said, “There is no point in us having talks with Maoists. Actually, there is no Maoist problem in Telangana except in the border area, where they occasionally try to sneak in. When there is no problem, what is the point in having talks? We are asking them to surrender.”
Replying to a question on reports about invoking the Preventive Detention Act against those posting controversial content on social media, Reddy said he would “cross-check it.”
He, however, said action would be taken against those indulging in character assassination online. “It is their responsibility to work under the purview of the Constitution,” he said.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
