Top Maoist Commander Paparao to Surrender in Bastar, Dealing Major Blow to Insurgency
RAIPUR: In a significant development for Chhattisgarh's security landscape, Bastar's last remaining top Maoist commander, Paparao, is poised to surrender along with 17 cadres, including eight women. This move comes just six days before the Central government's March 31 deadline to end Left-wing extremism, with state authorities hailing it as the final major crack in the Maoist command structure within the region.
A Decisive Turning Point in the Anti-Maoist Campaign
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds the home portfolio, described the impending surrender as a decisive turning point in Bastar's long-running anti-Maoist campaign. He emphasized that Paparao will be the last Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC)-level leader to undergo rehabilitation with his entire team.
"Technically, with Paparao's rehabilitation, we can say that within Chhattisgarh there is no cadre left of this level, or even below this level, in armed formation," Sharma stated. He confirmed to sources that Paparao, who carries a bounty of Rs 25 lakh, has reached out to state authorities and police, offering to lay down arms under the state's rehabilitation framework.
Paparao's Notorious History and Current Movements
Security agencies hold Paparao responsible for a series of deadly Maoist attacks over the past two decades in south Bastar. Key incidents attributed to him include:
- The Tadmetla massacre of April 2010, which killed 76 CRPF personnel.
- The January 2025 Ambeli IED attack that killed eight security personnel and a civilian driver.
According to police records, Paparao has been booked in more than 40 cases and warrants. Aged between 55-60 years, he joined the Maoist movement in 1997 as a school dropout and has been active for nearly 25 years. He is known by several aliases, including Sunam Chandraya, Mangu Dada, and Chandranna.
Paparao, who served as a member of the DKSZC and in-charge of the south sub-zonal bureau and west Bastar division, is currently on his way to Bijapur district. He is expected to hand over AK-47 rifles and other graded weapons to police and formally join mainstream life in the presence of community representatives.
Insurgency Nears Its Endgame in Bastar
Bastar Range IGP P Sundarraj noted that this is the first time in the history of the Maoist movement in Dandakaranya that the outfit has effectively become leaderless in Bastar. The DKSZC, which handles Maoist activities in the Bastar division and parts of adjoining states, is considered the strongest formation of the outlawed outfit and has been instrumental in executing several deadly attacks on security forces over the past two decades.
Officers indicated that Bastar's insurgency stands closer than ever to its declared endgame, with no senior commander of Paparao's stature left in the region's armed Maoist structure. However, they clarified that after the March 31 deadline, there will not be a formal curtain-down event or announcement about beating it.
Rehabilitation Drive and Future Expectations
Deputy CM Sharma revealed that Paparao reached out to him over a phone call and conveyed that several cadres were willing to return. Those from different locations had assembled in the forest, walked down kilometers, and will reach the district headquarters for formal surrender.
"More surrenders are expected over the coming days as the state pushes its rehabilitation drive," he added. Sharma maintained that lower-rank cadres who are still around have largely settled down, abandoned uniforms and weapons, and are no longer functioning as armed Maoists.
"There are two or three names left, but they are active in Telangana or Gadchiroli, not inside Chhattisgarh," he declared, underscoring the state's progress in dismantling the Maoist infrastructure within its borders.
