Visakhapatnam: Rise in Maoist surrenders, arrests creates leadership vacuum

Visakhapatnam: The Visakha district police have succeeded in bringing down the Maoist activity in Agency areas.

For the past 15 months, there have been a considerable number of arrests as well as surrenders registered in the district.

Building awareness about development challenges in Maoist-affected areas through community policing on one hand and intensifying surveillance to restrict the Maoists' movement on the other contributed significantly to the reduced Maoist menace in the Visakha Agency region.

From last July till date, Maoists belonging to various cadres have been arrested as well as surrendered before the police.

While there were 33 Maoists arrested during the period, another 29 surrendered before the police. This apart, there were 54 bind overs as well.

Among the militia members, 25 got arrested, while 19 surrendered.

Several reasons have been attributed to the surrender of the Maoists. "There is disillusionment among the rank and file of the banned outfit. Many are demotivated and demoralised with regard to the Maoists' ideology. Also, the present condition prevailing in the tribal belt is another factor for the Maoists to give up arms and join the mainstream," shares B Krishna Rao, Superintendent of Police, Visakhapatnam district, with The Hans India.

Lack of local recruitment, absence of public support and aversion towards the outlawed CPI (Maoists) led to the increased surrender list in the recent past. The latest one to sum up the surrender chart includes a 26-year-old woman Maoist, an Area Committee Member of the Pedabayalu Dalam.CPI (Maoist), Korra Kumari alias Swetha.

Differences between the non-tribal senior leadership and the tribal cadres, rising conflicts among the cadres, intensified combing operation and continuous surveillance are the other factors that continue to impede Maoist activity.

In addition, frequent protest rallies by the tribals against the Maoist ideology widened the rift between the two. Similarly, the consistent efforts by the district police administration to drive home the message that it was the Maoists who were impeding development in the Agency areas have eventually come to fruition. Apparently, this resulted in increased surrenders.

With the passing away of the top Maoist leader Akkiraju Hara Gopal aka Ramakrishna (RK) and top leaders like Sudheer abandoning the banned outfit, the police exude confidence over the leadership vacuum emerging in the top Maoist leaders.