Gadchiroli: A month of tense, back-channel negotiations led to the surrender of Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias ‘Bhupathi,’ a shadowy figure and key strategist who, as a founding member of the banned People’s War Group, helped spread the Maoist movement across the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border for decades.
With a massive Rs 6 crore bounty on his head, his life was defined by the armed struggle till two days ago, when the 69-year-old Central Committee and Politburo member—along with 60 fellow cadres—stepped out of the jungle and into the quiet custody of the Gadchiroli Police.
The story is not one of a fierce gun battle, but of a man quietly losing faith and the careful, human efforts to guide him back, says a senior police official who was in know of the developments.
The official said the initial sign came last month when Bhupathi, sensing the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) movement was “on its last legs,” began circulating pamphlets and press notes expressing his desire to surrender.
With his wife Tarakka having surrendered already earlier this year, the officials said that there were enough indications of change of Bhupathi’s heart and ideology after having grown disillusioned as well as a feeling that the armed struggle had ultimately failed.
This put him at odds with the remaining top Naxal leadership, creating an internal conflict that spurred his decision, the official said.
“When he expressed his intent, we knew this was a critical, delicate moment,” the police official said, adding “we immediately activated our intelligence network, not to hunt him, but to open a door.”
The negotiations began not in a formal meeting room, but through trusted sources deep within the
Bhamragad region, the official said while admitting it was a painstaking process of building trust, confirming intent, and ensuring safety for a man who had lived his entire life outside the law.
“Speculation about his surrender was rife” within LWE circles, the official said.
About ten days ago, a small sign of his commitment emerged when Bhupathi met with villagers in the Phodewada area, publicly sharing his thoughts about finally leaving the path of violence behind.
It was a crucial symbol that he may step away from the dogma he had preached for forty years, the official said.