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Tirupathi hails from Karimnagar district of Telangana and joined the cadre in 1983, gradually rising through the ranks
Intelligence agencies also said Hidma, one of the most-wanted Maoists, has been given the charge of handling operations in the entire Bastar region. (PTI Image for Representation)
Months after their top leader Basava Raju was gunned down by security forces, the CPI (Maoist) have put in place a new leadership. As per intelligence sources, Telangana’s Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji has been appointed the new general secretary of the banned outfit.
Devuji was the chief of the Central Military Commission, the armed wing of the outlawed Naxal group.
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Intelligence agencies also said Hidma, one of the most-wanted Maoists, has been given the charge of handling operations in the entire Bastar region. Hidma was heading PLGA Battalion 1 and was almost brought to justice by a month-long operation launched by the Union and state forces in the Karreguttalu hills on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in May this year. Thirty-one Naxals were killed in the 21-day-long operation but Hidma managed to escape to Telangana. He has now been appointed Secretary, Dandakaranya, as per agency officials.
Who is Tirupathi?
The new Maoist chief hails from Karimnagar district of Telangana and joined the cadre in 1983, gradually rising through the ranks.
Believed to be the mastermind, Tirupathi is wanted for the 2010 Dantewada massacre, which killed 76 CRPF jawans. His role is also under scanner in the 2007 Ranibodali attack of Bijapur, where 55 policemen were killed.
“He created a South India guerrilla zone stretching across the Western Ghats, from Goa to Idukki in Kerala,” an intelligence document said.
Tirupathi also replaced Kishenji as the head of the West Bengal unit of CPI (Maoist) after the latter was gunned down. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on the leader.
The installation of a new Maoist leadership comes amid Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s assurance that Naxalism will be over in the country by 2026.
As per Union government data till June this year, 226 Naxals have been killed, 418 arrested (including two Central Committee Members), while 896 have surrendered. The figure last year was 290 killed, 1,090 arrested, and 881 surrendered. Among those neutralised were 18 top Naxal leaders.
CNN-News18 had reported in June this year that the CPI (Maoist) Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the Naxal group, may have been reduced to just three members now.
While no exact numbers were available, Chhattisgarh officials estimated that the strength of the armed cadre of Maoists could also have come down to about 1,500.
As per MHA data, there is a 53 per cent drop in Naxal violence over the past decade. Between 2004 and 2014, 16,463 incidents of Naxal violence were reported. The number dropped to 7,744 between 2014 and 2024, government officials said.
About the Author
Arunima is Editor (Home Affairs) and covers strategic, security and political affairs. From the Ukraine-Russia War to the India-China stand-off in Ladakh to India-Pak clashes, she has reported from ground zero …Read More
Arunima is Editor (Home Affairs) and covers strategic, security and political affairs. From the Ukraine-Russia War to the India-China stand-off in Ladakh to India-Pak clashes, she has reported from ground zero … Read More
Chhattisgarh, India, India
September 10, 2025, 16:57 IST
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