With Bhupati's surrender, is Naxal threat in Maharashtra almost over?
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Wednesday that left-wing extremism in the state is nearly finished after the surrender of top Naxal leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupati.Bhupati and 60 other hardcore Naxalites surrendered before the chief minister in Gadchiroli. They also surrendered their sophisticated weapons, which included AK-47 guns and Insas rifles.
With the surrender of Bhupati, the Naxalite threat in Gadchiroli is almost over, with only Company 10 remaining active. It has just about 10-12 active cadres.
ऐतिहासिक! 🚨
🔸Surrender of Maoist Commander Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu Bhupati carrying a ₹6 crore bounty along with 60 other senior Maoists at Gadchiroli in presence of CM Devendra Fadnavis.
MLA Dr Milind Narote, Maharashtra DGP, and other senior police officers and… pic.twitter.com/DIqyiV7Zyo
— CMO Maharashtra (@CMOMaharashtra) October 15, 2025
The process of surrender of Bhupati began in January this year when his wife Tarakka, herself a dedicated Naxalite, surrendered. The Gadchiroli police and C60 special task force, led by Superintendent of Police Neelotpal, were engaged in talks and meetings with Naxalite cadre to get them to lay down their arms.
Fadnavis said that the genuine efforts made by the police force in the rehabilitation of Tarakka and her colleagues, who had surrendered in January, certainly played a role in Bhupati's surrender.
Bhupati had been active in the Naxalite movement for more than four decades and chose Maharashtra to surrender with his 60 colleagues. This is proof that Maharashtra has the best record in Naxalite surrender and rehabilitation, according to top police officers.
Fadnavis also said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had set a target of
December 2026 to end the Naxalite threat in India, and Maharashtra has taken a lead in its march in that direction.
"We hope that remaining active cadres of Company 10 will surrender in the coming days or they will be arrested or neutralised by the police force," said the chief minister.
He also admitted that Bhupati had put a condition that he and his team would surrender before the chief minister of the state. "I had agreed to go to the jungles to get this surrender. But the police managed to convince him to surrender in Gadchiroli. The surrender of Bhupati will also lead to similar surrenders in Chhattisgarh," said Fadnavis.
Fadnavis further opined that now the state has to deal with 'Urban Naxals' as the Naxalite cadre operating with guns and weapons in jungles was surrendering in large numbers.
"Maharashtra police has already taken action against urban naxals and we will continue our fight against left-wing extremism," said the chief minister.
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