Maoist leader Savitri, allegedly involved in deadly attacks against police, surrenders

According to the police, Savitri, the Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) of South Bastar, had participated in five deadly attacks against security forces.
Maoist leader Savitri surrendering before the DGP
Maoist leader Savitri surrendering before the DGP
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In a major setback to the CPI (Maoist) party, Madhavi Hademe alias Savitri, Divisional Committee Member (DVCM) of South Bastar Division of Dankarnya Special Zone Committee, surrendered before the Telangana police on Wednesday, September 21. She allegedly participated in five brutal attacks on security forces and four ambushes along with several other attacks. Police said that Savitri had participated in the Tekulagudem ambush in April last year, in which 21 CRPF personnel and four Maoists were killed. 

Savitri is the wife of top Maoist leader, Ravula Srinivas alias Ramanna, the Central Committee Member and Secretary of Dandakarnya Special Zone Committee. He died in 2019, following cardiac arrest. It may be recalled that Savitri’s son Ravula Srikanth, also a Maoist, had surrendered to the police on July 14 last year. 

The police, in their official press release, said that at the age of 13, Savitri had worked in Bal Sanghatan (Adivasi Balak Sangh), allegedly a front organisation of the Maoists for nearly three years and moved along with the militia in Konta area. Konta is a region in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh. Police said that the then commander of Konta Dalam, Ramanna would often visit her village on issues like Podu lands, bonded labour and child marriages. Attracted by the Konta Dalam’s activities to fight on behalf of the tribals, she joined the Dalam in 1992 and was elevated as the DVCM of South Bastar Division. She spent almost 30 years in the outlawed organisation and recruited around 300-350 members in the party by propagating revolutionary ideology.

In 1998, she was sent to the Kistaram Area Committee as Area Committee Member (ACM) and was subsequently elevated as the Area Committee Secretary in 2006. In 2008, she was elevated as the Divisional Committee Member of South Bastar where she spent 14 years in the same Divisional Committee. Presently, she is in charge of the Konta Area Committee, police said. 

She also oversaw the activities of Maoist organisations like Kranthikari Adivasi Mahila Sanghatan (KAMS), Dhandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sanghatan (DAKMS) and Chaitanya Natya Manch (CNM).   

According to police, Savitri gave up the armed struggle after getting frustrated by the mindless violence  and “aimless protracted armed struggle of the CPI (Maoists).” She also faced humiliation following her husband's death in 2019, police said. “After the death of her husband and surrender of her son, she went into depression and realising the futility of continuing in the outlawed Maoist outfit and attracted by the provisions of comprehensive surrender and rehabilitation policies of the Telangana government, she decided to leave the party to join the mainstream and lead a normal life,” police said in their statement.

Telangana Director General of Police, M Mahender Reddy said that though Savitri does not carry a reward in Telangana, as she is a native of  Chhattisgarh, she will be provided with all the eligible relief on par with the cadres of Telangana who had surrendered.  The DGP said that Savitri’s surrender will have a tremendous impact on the morale of the Maoists as she is a very senior and committed leader of the party.

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