HYDERABAD: In a major setback to the Maoist movement, two of its most senior leaders — politburo member Misir Besra and PLGA Battalion‑1 commander Hemla Vijja alias Aitu — are expected to surrender soon along with their cadres, security sources said.
Besra, 63, known by his aliases Sagar in Telangana and Bhaskar in Andhra Pradesh, is the eastern regional bureau in‑charge based in Jharkhand and carries a reward of ₹1 crore. Arrested in 2007, he escaped from police custody in Bihar in 2009.
Following the killing of general secretary Basava Raju last year, Besra has effectively emerged as the head of the banned outfit. His decision to surrender reportedly followed a letter from fellow politburo member Prashant Bose alias Kishan, who urged cadres to reconsider the armed struggle before his death in Ranchi jail on April 3.
Meanwhile, Hemla Vijja, the last commander of PLGA Battalion‑1, is also preparing to surrender with 23 guerrillas linked to Telangana. Hemla, a divisional committee member and in‑charge of Platoon No‑1 and supply teams, has been the mastermind behind several major attacks in South Bastar over the past two decades, sources said.
His surrender, coming soon after deputy commander Sodhi Keshalu alias Malla laid down arms with 42 Maoists before Telangana DGP Shivdhar Reddy, is seen as the final blow to Battalion‑1, once the most powerful Maoist military unit in South Bastar.
Security officials said the twin surrenders would cripple Maoist operations in Central and East India, marking the collapse of a structure that has inflicted the highest casualties on forces in the past 20 years. Telangana police are expected to make an official announcement within days.
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