Four-Decade Mystery: Brother's Search for Top Maoist Leader
For Thippiri Gangadhar, the search for his elder brother has stretched across 42 long years. His quest recently led him to the Andhra Pradesh High Court, which has now rejected his habeas corpus petition seeking to know the whereabouts of his sibling, Thippiri Tirupati, widely known by his alias Devuji. Believed to hold the top-most position in the CPI (Maoist) as its general secretary, Devuji is one of the last few senior guerrilla leaders still active after the killing of Madvi Hidma.
The Court's Verdict and Police Denials
A Division Bench of the High Court dismissed the petition filed by Gangadhar and Snehlatha Reddy, the daughter of another top Maoist leader, Malla Raji Reddy. The court ruled that there was no prima facie evidence to indicate that the two leaders were in police custody. The material presented to the court also did not support this claim.
Appearing for the state government, Special Government Pleader T Vishnuteja categorically stated that all 50 arrested Maoists had been produced before various courts and that no one else was in custody. This assertion was a key factor in the court's decision, though it left the door open for the petitioners to approach the court again if they could provide strong evidence.
A Brother's "Very Strong Doubts"
Speaking after the court's decision, Gangadhar expressed his profound concerns. "I have very strong doubts about my brother's whereabouts," he stated. His suspicions were triggered by a chain of events following the encounter killing of Madvi Hidma on November 18.
Gangadhar's logic is rooted in the operational patterns of Maoist leaders. "Hidma was with his protection team and was killed. In Vijayawada, police issued a statement that nine members of Devuji's protection team had been arrested. If Hidma was travelling with his protection team, Devuji would have also been. The question is, where is Devuji?" he questioned, highlighting the basis for his belief that his brother is in Andhra Police custody.
He filed the habeas corpus petition a day after Hidma's death, fearing for his brother's safety and wanting to ensure no "harm" came to him. A subsequent encounter the next morning, in which seven more Maoists were killed, only strengthened his conviction.
A Fading Memory and a Family's Long Wait
Gangadhar, who is eight years younger than Devuji, lives in Korutla town in Telangana's Jagtial district. His memories of his brother are faint, frozen in time from over four decades ago. He recounts that Devuji left home quietly at the age of 18-19, just before completing his first year at SSR Degree College in Karimnagar.
Before his disappearance, Devuji was an active student leader with the Radical Students' Union (RSU) and had been the student union president. "Police made Tirupati (Devuji) a target repeatedly over fights with ABVP student leaders, and he quit student politics," Gangadhar shared, painting a picture of the young man who would become a top insurgent leader.
The family never saw him again. "My parents passed away waiting to hear or see him one last time. It has been 42 years, we have had no contact with him or seen him," Gangadhar said, his words echoing a lifetime of absence. "That is why if he is in police custody, I would like to know." His legal fight, though set back by the High Court, is driven by this simple, decades-old desire for closure.
