Grey Hounds police combing Livitiput village in Dumbiriguda mandal near Araku in Visakhapatnam district. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

In guerrilla warfare, one of the basic tactics is setting up multiple bases with a small number of rebels under one leader rather than concentrating a big group under a couple of top leaders. This is done to see that the movement lives, even if one group retreats due to the offensive of the security forces or finished by them.

This strategy was strictly being followed under the leadership of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed by the security forces in Chhattisgarh on May 21. With his death, will the strategy change? Senior police officers say that it may not.

Coming under intense security pressure at Chhattisgarh and with the literal blockade of Korragutta in Chhattisgarh, where the bulk of the Maoist military wing is said to have holed up, the leaders and cadres who had once held the sway in Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) region, are desperate to rejuvenate the movement in this area.

The AOB has always been a fertile ground for the banned CPI (Maoist) for its inaccessible terrain and thick forest cover. About 60% of AOB is inaccessible by road. Certain areas such as Galikonda and Gurtedu are thickly forested, making the combing operation difficult. A Maoist document recovered from an encounter site mentioned a proposal about shifting the entire central committee team to the region in case of extreme emergency.

In June 2021, after the Teegalametta encounter in Alluri Sitharama Raju district, in which six top Maoist leaders were killed, the entire group of Maoists led by Kakuri Pandana alias Jagan, Gajarla Ravi alias Uday and Aruna, had vacated the AOB.

By September 2021, the team of 30 to 40 Maoists had moved to Dandakaranya zone of Chhattisgarh and were operating for the DKSZC (Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee).

They have been trying to regroup since August 2022. They conducted surveys and two teams — one led by Jagan and the other led by Uday and Aruna — entered the AOB in May 2024, through the Konta block of Chhattisgarh and Kailmela region of AOB, said a senior officer engaged in anti-Maoist operations.

Lying low

However, they have been lying low, shifting between Kalimela and Galikonda regions. The Maoist movement depends on two verticals – one is the political movement, which is used to spread their ideology and recruit new entrants, and the military vertical, which is used to attack security forces.

The Maoists are unable to conduct open meetings now to motivate and recruit new cadres. The tribals, who were once sympathisers of the Maoists, are refusing to join as they are happy with the government schemes and benefits. On the other hand, the combing operations are getting intensified.

As per sources, Maoists are hiding. The group of five to seven Maoists led by Jagan are in disarray, especially after the death of Jagan and Ramesh in an encounter this year.

Meanwhile, the strength of the other group led by Uday and Aruna, who had moved in with about 30 cadres, have dwindled to 20 with a string of surrenders.

Son of the soil

The last link between the tribals and the Maoists was Jagan. His death was a huge blow to the movement. Jagan, a tribal from GK Veedhi, became the SZCM (Special Zonal Committee Member). He had held sway among the locals in the Maoist-hit mandals of ASR district.

He was the last of the tribals to rise to the top levels after Kudumula Ravi, who died of illness in 2016, and Bakuri Venkataramana alias Ganesh, who was killed in Ramaguda encounter.

The only connection that the tribals now have with the Maoists is Uday. Though a non-tribal from Telangana, he commands respect among the locals, unlike Aruna, who has fallen out of favour due to her high-handed attitude.

Sources say that Uday, who has been inducted into the Central Committee, is not in the best of his health. Given his health condition and intense pressure from the security forces, it would be difficult for him to gain a foothold.

Right now, they (Maoists) are in a hibernation mode, waiting for a weak phase in the security blockade to make their move, which is unlikely, as the offensive would continue, said a senior officer.