In a significant development for security forces, a senior and most-wanted Maoist commander laid down his arms on Friday. Barse Deva, also known as Barsa Sukka, surrendered before the Telangana Police, dealing a potential body blow to the Left-Wing Extremist network in the region.
A Close Aide of Slain Leader Hidma
Barse Deva was the head of the dreaded PLGA (People's Liberation Guerrilla Army) Battalion 1 and a key member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. He was considered one of the closest aides of Maoist leader Madvi Hidma, who was killed in an encounter with security forces on November 18 in the Maredumilli forest of Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
Deva formally surrendered before Telangana Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy. Officials stated that Deva, a native of Puvarti village in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, was involved in several ambushes attributed to the late Hidma. Notably, Puvarti is the same village where Hidma hailed from.
Appeal from the Government Preceded Surrender
The surrender follows a direct appeal from the Chhattisgarh government. Last month, Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Vijay Sharma met the families of both Hidma and Deva in Puvarti village. After Hidma's death, Sharma had publicly urged Deva to return to the mainstream.
"Hidma didn't pay heed to his mother's call to return or give up violence and was killed. Deva, there's still time. You and anyone coming with you will be treated respectfully," Sharma had said. This message was widely interpreted as a clear offer of rehabilitation and a signal for Deva to surrender.
A Major Setback for Maoist Operations
Security analysts view Deva's decision to surrender as a substantial setback for the Maoist organization. The group has been facing mounting pressure from intensified anti-Naxal operations across several states. Additionally, internal challenges such as resistance from younger cadres and strategic confusion within the leadership have weakened its structure.
The surrender of a battalion commander from the core zone of Dandakaranya is seen as a major success for the government's persuasion and pressure policy. It indicates a crack in the top leadership following the elimination of a senior figure like Hidma.
In a separate incident highlighting continued operations, a Naxalite carrying a reward of Rs 50,000 was killed in an encounter with security forces in Bihar's Begusarai district on January 1. He was identified as Dayanand Malakar, secretary of the North Bihar Central Zonal Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist). Two of his associates were arrested in the operation.
