Malloujula Venugopal Rao, widely known by his alias Sonu, a senior Polit Bureau member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), has surrendered to the authorities along with sixty armed cadres in the Gadhchiroli district of Maharashtra. This development marks a significant setback for the Naxalite movement in India, which has persisted for decades across several states. Venugopal Rao, who also went by the aliases Bhupati and Abhay, was regarded as one of the most powerful figures within the Maoist organization. According to officials, he is expected to formally surrender before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Gadhchiroli on Wednesday, symbolizing a crucial milestone in the ongoing efforts of the government to suppress left-wing extremism.
At seventy years of age, Venugopal Rao was a long-serving member of the Politburo, the highest decision-making authority of the outlawed Maoist group. He oversaw the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, one of the most active and strategically vital Maoist strongholds in Gadhchiroli. Additionally, he led the Central Military Commission of the organization, directing operations from Abujhmad—a dense forest region along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border that has long served as a key operational base for Naxal forces.
Security agencies hold Venugopal Rao responsible for orchestrating several major attacks, most notably the 2010 Dantewada ambush that claimed the lives of seventy-six CRPF personnel, one of the deadliest assaults in the history of the insurgency. He faces numerous criminal charges, including murder, attempted murder, arson, and armed attacks on government forces. Authorities in Maharashtra, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh had placed a collective bounty exceeding ₹7 crore on him, reflecting his high-ranking status and the threat he posed to national security.
Venugopal Rao hails from Pedappali in the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and holds a degree in commerce. He came from a family deeply involved in the Naxalite movement—his elder brother, Mallajolu Koteshwar Rao, popularly known as Kishenji, was one of the top Maoist leaders until he was killed in an encounter with security forces in 2010. His wife, Tarakka, was also associated with Maoist activities but surrendered to the Gadhchiroli police in 2018, signaling a gradual decline in the family’s militant involvement and ideological commitment.
Officials from the Gadhchiroli police have described Venugopal Rao’s surrender as a major breakthrough in the decades-long fight against Naxalism. They consider it a morale-boosting moment for security forces and a decisive step toward dismantling the Maoist influence in India’s interior regions. The move aligns with Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s earlier declaration that the government intends to completely eradicate Naxalism from the country by 2026. The formal surrender of Venugopal Rao and his sixty cadres is expected to weaken the Maoist network significantly, enhance counter-insurgency efforts, and restore stability in areas long affected by extremist violence across central and eastern India.
