Hyderabad/Raipur: In a major blow to the Maoist insurgency in central India, senior Maoist military commander Barse Deva, also known as Sainath, surrendered before Telangana Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy on Friday. People familiar with the matter confirmed that Deva, who carried a cumulative bounty of ₹25.47 lakh, is now in the custody of Telangana police and is expected to be presented before the media on Saturday.

Deva, 45, crossed into Telangana from Chhattisgarh on Thursday evening along with 15–17 cadres, and was brought to Hyderabad on Friday. Over the years, he had been a close associate of top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, who was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh’s Maredumilli forests on November 18. Following Hidma’s death, Deva assumed a pivotal role in the Maoist organisation’s armed operations, serving as the chief of its military wing, the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), and as an Area Zonal Committee Member (AZCM) since 2021.

Both Deva and Hidma hailed from Puvarti village in Sukma, which had been under Maoist control for nearly four decades until a security camp was established in February 2024. The duo was involved in planning and executing major attacks, including the Darbha Ghati ambush in May 2013, which claimed 27 lives including 10 security personnel, and the April 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush that killed 22 security forces personnel.

Officials highlighted that Deva played a critical role in the Maoist organisation over the years, overseeing weapons procurement, logistics, planning, and coordination of armed squads, particularly in the forested regions of south Bastar, including Sukma and adjoining districts. During his surrender, police recovered a mounted Light Machine Gun (LMG) from his possession, and several members of his military operations team also laid down arms.

At the time of his surrender, Deva was regarded as part of the Maoist party’s top strategic trio, alongside party chief Tippiri Tirupati, alias Devji, and Telangana State Committee secretary Bade Chokka Rao, alias Damodar. Following Hidma’s death, intelligence officials identified Deva as one of the most influential figures in the Maoist hierarchy, commanding significant operational and strategic authority.

Intelligence assessments suggest that Battalion Number 1, once Deva’s core fighting unit, had a strength of roughly 130 armed cadres. However, sustained counter-insurgency operations had severely weakened the unit. Officials also noted a strong possibility that remaining members of the battalion may come forward and surrender in the coming days, following Deva’s lead.

Experts said Deva’s surrender delivers a decisive blow to the operational backbone of the Maoist organisation. The PLGA, which long served as the military spine of the Maoist Central Military Commission, is widely seen as being on the verge of collapse. With the killing of Hidma and Deva’s surrender, the group’s capacity to execute organised armed operations is believed to have been severely crippled.

The PLGA, initially formed as the People’s Guerrilla Army (PGA) on December 2, 1999, was renamed after the merger of CPI (People’s War) with the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) on September 21, 2004. At its peak, the PLGA operated with around eight battalions and 13 platoons, with an estimated 10,000–12,000 armed cadres, enabling large-scale coordinated attacks.

Officials also said that Deva’s surrender comes after months of pressure on Maoist strongholds in Sukma and adjoining districts, where enhanced security measures and counter-insurgency operations, including the establishment of security camps, had steadily weakened Maoist control.

Police officials described Deva’s surrender as a major success for the security forces, highlighting the effectiveness of sustained intelligence-driven operations against the insurgents. They also emphasized that this development could trigger further surrenders from within the organisation, potentially hastening the collapse of the PLGA’s operational structure.

“The surrender of a key commander like Barse Deva, particularly after the elimination of Madvi Hidma, signals a turning point in the fight against Maoist insurgency in the region,” a senior intelligence officer said. “It has a demoralizing effect on the cadre and disrupts command-and-control structures critical to their operations.”

Deva’s surrender underscores the continuing impact of coordinated counter-insurgency strategies employed by security forces across Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and adjoining areas, which aim to restore state control and reduce armed insurgent activity in historically Maoist-dominated regions.

This development also marks a symbolic and strategic setback for the Maoist movement, which has seen its operational leadership, previously concentrated among a few top commanders, fragmented by successive security interventions. Analysts note that if remaining leaders and cadres choose to surrender, it could significantly accelerate the decline of Maoist influence in Bastar and other strongholds.

The PLGA has long been considered the backbone of Maoist armed operations, providing training, logistics, and operational support for attacks against security personnel and government establishments. Its weakening following the elimination of Hidma and surrender of Deva indicates a critical disruption in Maoist capabilities, with implications for national security and counter-insurgency operations.

Security officials continue to monitor developments in the region closely, anticipating potential further surrenders and the dismantling of remaining Maoist networks. The focus remains on consolidating gains in the region and ensuring that surrendered cadres are rehabilitated under existing government programmes.

Barse Deva’s surrender thus represents a landmark moment in the ongoing efforts to dismantle the operational structure of the Maoist insurgency in central India, particularly in the historically volatile districts of Sukma and Bastar, signaling a significant weakening of the PLGA’s military capability.