15 Maoists on ‘most wanted’ list of police, security forces

AT to the lowest degree 15 members of the exchange citizens committee (CC) of the prohibited commie Party of India (Maoist) remain on the most wanted list of police and security forces, documents accessed by HT have shown.The 15 members, each with a different role, carry rewards ranging from ₹40 lakh to a crore, the documents showed. Senior leader Sudhakar, who was killed in an encounter in Bijapur on Monday, was number 16 on the list. The most wanted man, Mupalla Laxmana Rao alias Ganpathy, is a CC member and former general secretary. Ganpathy was the CC general secretary before Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavarju who was killed in a gunfight on May 21. Another person on the list is Sujata alias Kalpana, who is believed to be in her 60s, and is the widow of Maoist leader Kishen ji who was killed in an encounter in 2011 in West Bengal, officials familiar with the contents of the list said. According to security records, Sujata remains a CC member and is also in charge of the South Bastar Divisional Committee. While police have announced a reward of ₹40 lakh for her arrest, the cumulative bounty from other states for her arrest could be over ₹1 crore, the officials said. “The CPI(Maoists) used to have more than two dozen central committee members, who were their main leaders. They are the party’s think tank, while the other is the military wing. These people decided how the party should spread its influence across the red corridor. They are now down to just 15, of which some may have fled from the jungles due to old age though we have no evidence. Currently there are four-five CC members, who are still active in Chhattisgarh and working with the military wing,” one senior officer, who asked not to be named, said. Second on the list of most wanted is Mallojula Venugopal alias Abhay — also a politburo member and a likely candidate to be Basavaraju’s successor. “Abhay, who is in his 60s, is still active in Chhattisgarh and is also their spokesperson. Through our sources, we heard that Abhay and another CC member, Chandranna alias Puluri Prasad Rao, could be their new general secretary,” the officer said, adding that there is no credible intelligence with forces about reports on social media that Ganapathy has returned to lead the party. The officer added that after Basavaraju’s death last month, the party has been unable to convene a meeting to select its new leader. “CPI Maoist leadership is facing its extinction. From a strength of around 45 few years back now their top leadership strength have depleted to around 14,” Bastar range IG P Sundarraj said. A second official said that while the most wanted list has CC members, the people whom the forces are more desperate to get are the military commanders. The youngest in this list of 15 CC members, Madhvi Hidma (52), is still the man, leading the armed cadres. “Along with Hidma, there is Barse Deva, commander of PLGA Battalion number 1, and Dulla, who is the commander of company number 1. These are people who are still fit and young too, who are still putting up a fight and refusing to surrender. Getting them will impact the military prowess of the Maoists,” the second officer added. Two others on the list are Misir Besra alias Sunirmal and Deoji alias Chetan Deoji, both in their 60s, who are part of the Maoists Central Military Commission. While Besra is a CMC member, Deoji is the secretary of the Central Military Commission. The CMC is apex body of the Maoists responsible for planning and executing armed attacks against security forces. To be sure, the order of the names in the list is not based on order of their importance. In 2025, the security forces have neutralised at least 3 CC members.