10 hours ago
Top maoist leader shot: Gajarla Ravi killed in operation; rebel grip fades, no big leader left in Andhra Pradesh
HYDERABAD: With the encounter killing of CPI (Maoist) central committee member Gajarla Ravi, the banned outfit has lost its last top-level operative deployed in Andhra Pradesh.
Ravi, a native of Telangana, was heading the crucial Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) special zonal committee. His death marks the complete elimination of all central committee members either operating in or originally from Andhra this year.
A senior official said, "With Ravi gone, the central committee has no one left operating in Andhra. Andhra-origin members have also been wiped out."
Though not from Andhra, Ravi had been overseeing Maoist operations in the AOB region, keeping the Andhra structure active after the loss of native leaders.
His elimination deals a strategic blow to the organisation's command and coordination in Andhra territory. With no central committee leader now stationed in the state, the Maoist presence has suffered a significant leadership vacuum.
While Andhra has been entirely wiped out from the top echelons, Telangana continues to dominate the central committee. Among the key Telangana leaders still active are Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu (Peddapalli), Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devji (Korutla), Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy alias Kosa, and Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram (Peddapalli).
