3 min readHyderabadUpdated: Aug 10, 2026 06:38 PM IST
After five decades, a director general of police set foot in the Telangana side of Karregutta – the Maoist-infested hill once used to house several central committee members of the banned organisation Communist Party of India (Maoist).
Speaking at Karregutta on Monday, Telangana DGP CV Anand promised that the place will soon be developed into a tourist spot. “The road, which has been laid, is now kaccha. It will soon be tarred and people will be able to commute through it freely,” Anand told reporters, referring to the path used to enter the forest.
Speaking of tourism opportunities at Karregutta, the DGP said it would help even those surrendered Maoists who are yet to find a foothold in mainstream society. Surrendered Maoists are given a lump sum grant to start a new life. “The bounty announced on their heads is given to them,” Anand explained.
Anand was accompanied by a large contingent of police and revenue personnel. “This delegation had come here in large numbers to send a message that it is safe to visit Karregutta. Earlier, only specialised forces, including Greyhounds and COBRA units, used to visit these spots. They used to leave shortly after their anti-Maoist operations,” Anand said, reminiscing a past which was not that long ago.
(Special Arrangement Photo)
Tricolour hoisted
The contingent later also hoisted the Tricolour at the spot.
By March 31 this year, several Central Committee members of the CPI (Maoist) were either killed or arrested, or surrendered themselves. The home ministry had set the deadline for a Naxal-free India and had launched Operation Kagar.
(Special Arrangement Photo)
Telangana police department extensively cooperated with Operation Kagar, the DGP said, adding, “Around 700 Maoists have surrendered in Telangana alone during this operation.”
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The 1991-batch officer said that only two to three top Maoists are still absconding. “The main person among them is Muppala Laxaman Rao alias Ganapati. We request him to surrender and embrace a new life in the mainstream,” Anand said.
Muppala Lakshmana Rao is the former General Secretary of the CPI (Maoist). He was the longest serving general secretary of the banned outfit. He was succeeded by Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju who was killed in a police encounter in May 2025.
The Maoist party imploded after Basavaraju’s demise with two factions – one led by Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu and another by Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji – disagreeing on what the future of the outfit would look like. While Sonu and several others surrendered in Maharashtra, Devuji and others later surrendered in Telangana.