After the recent killing of top Maoist leader Basavaraju in an encounter, a heartfelt letter and video message from the granddaughter of another senior Maoist, Tipiri Tirupati alias Devji, has surfaced, The Times of India reported.
The message is from college student Itlu Suma Tipiri, who has never met her grandfather. Devji went underground long before she was born, and she is now pleading with him to surrender and return to the family.
Who is Devji?
Devji, also known as Sanjeev or Ramesh, is 62 years old and is a central committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist) and is believed to be a possible successor to Basavaraju, according to the TOI report.
He is known for leading several violent attacks, including the 2007 assault on the Geedam police station in Dantewada. Currently, he heads the Maoist military commission, a powerful position once held by Basavaraju. He has a reward of Rs 1 crore on his head, NDTV reported.
Devji’s granddaughter, studying in Telangana, spoke with both pride and sadness about her grandfather. In her message, which was accessed by TOI, she said, “Dear grandfather, please come home. I send you my heartfelt greetings. I've always longed to meet you, but sadly never got the chance. Whenever I read about you in the media, I feel both pride and pain. I know you gave everything to the cause of an egalitarian society, but recent events have been deeply saddening.”
"You've seen and achieved so much, but now we ask you to come back. Your family waits at the door. Please don't forget us,” she added.
Suma also questioned Chhattisgarh’s ongoing anti-Maoist operations, particularly ‘Operation Kagaar', a high-intensity crackdown launched in Maoist-affected areas. “Why are operations only carried out against Maoists? Why not against infiltrators from Pakistan or Bangladesh? It hurts to see people celebrate the killing of Maoists. They are humans too,” she said.
“You left to fight for the people, but now your own people, your family, are waiting with open arms. Please come back,” she pleaded to her grandfather.
The video and letter surfaced just days after media reports identified Devji and another leader, Sonu, as likely successors to Basavaraju as CPI (Maoist) general secretary.
Over the past 17 months, more than 400 Maoists have been killed in counter-insurgency operations in Chhattisgarh and surrounding areas, according to the NDTV report.
Bastar IG P Sundarraj has also issued a strong warning recently, saying, “Top Maoist leaders like Devji have only two choices, surrender and join the mainstream or face death. The Maoist organisation is crumbling from within, especially after Basavaraju’s death,” TOI quoted Sundarraj as saying.
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