2 min readHyderabadUpdated: Feb 24, 2026 04:39 PM IST
Formally surrendering before the Telangana Police, top Maoist leader Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji announced that he took the decision because of failing health.
“It is not just for myself that I have made this decision. I have decided to work within the legal framework and adopt political life. I will always be at the people’s side,” Devuji, currently the highest-ranking Maoist leader, said at a press conference in Hyderabad.
As the curtains come down on India’s Maoist party, Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji has surrendered in Telangana Tuesday along with him 50 more cadres of the CPI(Maoist), Telangana DGP Shivadhar Reddy said.
The surrender comes ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s deadline for ending the insurgency in the country. According to the Home Ministry, the deadline for elimination of Naxalism is March 31, 2026.
Devuji, also known as Devji, is considered to be the highest ranked leader of the banned CPI (Maoist), with some intelligence sources saying he could even have been the general secretary of the party. However, the outfit has denied Devuji’s ascension to the role after the killing of its former general secretary, Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju in May 2025.
Hailing from Jagtial, which was earlier part of Karimnagar district, in Telangana, Devuji is 62 years old. He carries a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head.
Along with Devuji, Malla Raji Reddy, another central committee member and leaders identified as Bade Chokka Rao alias Damodar and Nune Narasimha alias Ganganna have also surrendered.
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