'Surrender IEDs first': Chhattisgarh govt says no let-up in anti-Maoist operations despite ceasefire offer

The Maoists have also announced a leadership change, appointing Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, a native of Telangana, as their new general secretary. (Representative image)

The Chhattisgarh government has responded cautiously to the CPI (Maoist)’s recent offer to lay down arms. It stated that the banned group must first demonstrate sincerity by surrendering all improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted across the state.

State Home Minister Vijay Sharma, interacting with CNN-News18, noted that the letter and voice message released by Maoist spokesperson Abhay had been verified as genuine. He quashed any speculations of internal divisions between the group’s Chhattisgarh and Telangana units.

“The ceasefire proposal has been noted seriously, but operations will continue as usual. Just today, a major action was launched. If Maoists truly want peace, they must stop targeting civilians and deposit all IEDs at designated camps. That would be the first real step towards dialogue,” Sharma has been cited by News18.

The Maoists have also announced a leadership change, appointing Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji, a native of Telangana, as their new general secretary. His elevation has triggered speculation that cadres in Chhattisgarh, under relentless security pressure, may be open to talks, while those in Telangana remain defiant.

Notably, the state’s hardline response comes after a major offensive in Narayanpur district’s Abujhmad forests earlier this week, where security forces killed two senior Central Committee members of the CPI (Maoist).

The slain leaders, Raju Dada alias Katta Ramachandra Reddy (63) and Kosa Dada alias Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy (67), both from Telangana’s Karimnagar, carried bounties of Rs 40 lakh each in Chhattisgarh. Following a fierce gun battle, security personnel recovered their bodies along with assault rifles, a grenade launcher, explosives, and Maoist literature.

Home Minister Amit Shah called the encounter a “major victory,” stressing that security forces were “systematically dismantling Maoist leadership and breaking the backbone of red terror.” Bastar IGP Sundarraj P described it as a “decisive setback” for the insurgency and urged cadres to surrender.