Maoist Commander Barse Deva Surrenders, Blows to Maoist Organisation's Operational Backbone
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{ "title": "Maoist Commander Barse Deva Surrenders, Blows to Maoist Organisation's Operational Backbone", "article": "In a significant development, Barse Deva alias Sainath, a senior Maoist military commander and one of the most wanted Maoists in India, surrendered to the Telangana police on Friday. Deva, who carried a cumulative reward of ₹25.47 lakh, is currently in the custody of the Telangana police and will be produced before the media on Saturday. Deva was the in-charge of Battalion Number 1, the last core fighting unit of the Maoist organisation, and held the rank of Area Zonal Committee Member (AZCM) since 2021. He was a close associate of Madvi Hidma, the top Maoist commander 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 overseeing the Maoist party's armed operations as the chief of its military wing, the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). Deva and Hidma were responsible for planning major attacks, including the Darbha Ghati attack in 2013 and the April 2021 attack in Sukma-Bijapur that killed 22 security personnel. Deva's surrender is seen as a significant blow to the operational backbone of the Maoist organisation. He was one of the most influential figures in the Maoist hierarchy after Hidma's death and was considered part of the party's top strategic trio. The surrender of Deva and a group of Maoist cadres is believed to have weakened the PLGA, which was formed in 1999 as the People's Guerrilla Army (PGA). The outfit's capacity to carry out organised armed operations is believed to have been severely crippled with Hidma's killing and Deva's surrender. Intelligence assessments indicate that several remaining members of Battalion Number 1 may also reach out to authorities and join Deva in the coming days. The Telangana police recovered a mounted Light Machine Gun (LMG) from Deva's possession, and members of his military operations team also laid down arms upon his surrender."
