Top Maoist Bhupati Surrenders With 60 Cadres

• Bhupati, alias Sonu Dada, surrenders in Gadchiroli with 60 Maoist cadres.
• Rs 6 crore bounty Maoist leader active for 40+ years, responsible for attacks in multiple states.
• Police recover over 50 weapons from surrendered cadres.
• Maoism now nearly eradicated from Gadchiroli, says internal security experts.

GG News Bureau
Gadchiroli, 14th Oct: In a historic development, one of India’s most wanted Maoists, alias Bhupati, also known as Sonu Dada, surrendered to police in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district on Monday night along with 60 cadres. Bhupati, 69, carries a bounty of Rs 6 crore and has been active in the Maoist movement for over 40 years.

The surrender marks one of the largest in the history of the Maoist insurgency. Police recovered over 50 weapons from the group. Bhupati, a B.Com graduate, is believed to have orchestrated multiple major attacks across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. His wife, Tarakka, who was part of the Dandakaranya special zonal committee, had surrendered earlier this year.

Sources indicate that Bhupati had recently advocated a shift toward peace and dialogue, citing dwindling public support and massive casualties among Maoists due to anti-Naxal operations. Security experts say this development signals the near eradication of Maoism from Gadchiroli, a district historically plagued by severe Maoist attacks.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah had earlier urged underground Maoists to surrender and join the mainstream by March 31, 2026. “I appeal to the hiding Naxalites to lay down their arms as soon as possible and join the mainstream by adopting the surrender policy of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi government,” Shah stated on X, highlighting recent successes against Maoists in Chhattisgarh.

The Gadchiroli police and Maharashtra government have hailed the surrender as a major victory in the fight against Maoist insurgency, one of India’s most persistent internal security challenges.