Hyderabad:In yet another setback to the banned Maoist party, one of its senior leaders Takkalapalli Vasudeva Rao alias Ashanna, the mastermind behind several deadly attacks on political and police officials, is likely to surrender before the police. Ashanna, a central committee (CC) member of the outlawed outfit, is accused of plotting the 2003 Alipiri attack targeting then Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, and of masterminding the killings of former minister A. Madhava Reddy and IPS officer K.S. Umesh Chandra.
Sources said Ashanna has reportedly been in police custody for the past few days, and his formal surrender is expected soon. His wife, Narla Sri Vidya, was arrested by Telangana police a few months ago. A native of Polonipalli in Mulugu district, Ashanna studied up to ITI and joined the People’s War Group in 1991 and served in its Hyderabad action team. Over time, he rose through the ranks to become a CC member and was believed to be operating from the Ambujghad forests in Chhattisgarh.
In 1999, he was allegedly involved in the gunning down of IPS officer Umesh Chandra at Punjagutta, and a year later, executed the landmine attack that killed then minister A. Madhava Reddy. He also played a key role in the Alipiri blast aimed at Chandrababu Naidu.
Meanwhile, in another blow to the Maoist organisation, senior leader Mallojula Venugopal, technical head Irre Mohan Reddy, his wife, and about 60 others recently surrendered before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Venugopal also issued a public appeal urging Maoist cadres to shun violence and join the mainstream.
The Maharashtra government distributed cheques to the surrendered Maoists as part of the rehabilitation programme. The string of recent surrenders by senior leaders and cadres has further weakened the Maoist movement across central India.
