KARIMNAGAR: After more than four decades of living underground, former Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao, popularly known as ‘Sonu Dada’, visited his native Peddapalli town on Sunday. His homecoming followed his surrender before the Maharashtra government in October 2023, which ended his 44-year association with the armed struggle.
The visit was primarily to meet his ailing elder brother Anjanna. Venugopal Rao, who had followed his brother Mallojula Koteswara Rao ‘Kishanji’ into the forests in 1981, spent the day reconnecting with relatives and childhood friends. Kishanji, a politburo member, was killed in an encounter in West Bengal in 2011.
For the family, the reunion carried both joy and sorrow. They recalled the painful loss of their mother Madhuramma, who died in 2022 at the age of 96. At the time, Venugopal Rao could not attend her funeral and later released a letter from the underground titled “Mother, Forgive Me.”
The atmosphere at the residence was one of quiet reflection as villagers gathered to witness the return of the long-absent son. While he interacted warmly with locals and posed for photographs, he declined to speak with the media, keeping the visit personal.
The homecoming took place under tight security, with Maharashtra police coordinating with local authorities. For Peddapalli, once a centre of revolutionary activity, his presence symbolised the closing of a turbulent chapter. For the family, however, it was simply a brother returning to fulfil his duties after a lifetime spent in the shadows of the Dandakaranya forests.
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