Senior Maoist leader from the CPI (Maoist) Divisional Committee Member (DVCM), East Division, Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee, Ekkanti Seetharam Reddy alias Naganna, 65, surrendered before the police in Khammam on Friday, August 27.
Seetharam was working underground for more than three and a half decades, The Hindu reported. He turned himself in before Khammam Police Commissioner Vishnu S Warrier. According to reports, Seetharam, a native of Chintiryala in Aswapuram mandal of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, spent nearly 38 years of his life underground. He studied up to class 10 in Jakkam Gopaiah Memorial School at Burgampadu. Seetharam had actively participated in the activities of the Radical Student Union (RSU) and Radical Youth League (RYL) during his college days while pursuing his studies in Government Polytechnic College at Masab Tank in Hyderabad between 1974 and 1976, Telangana Today reported.
Seetharam reportedly led armed squads of the banned outfit in the AOB area for many years. Further, he was also taking political classes for the Maoist cadre. According to a report by News18, Seetharam had joined the People’s War Group (PWG) in 1981 and worked in the organisation as a ‘Dalam Commander’. He was jailed from 1985 to 1987 and came out on bail in 1988. He again joined the outfit in 1999 at Malkangiri (Odisha) and worked as the DVCM, Malkangiri East Division and AOBSZC (Andhra Orissa Border Special Zonal Committee) there and taught ‘political classes’ to cadres during 2008 and 2021, the report said.
According to the police, Seetharam has been suffering from skin allergies, knee pain, diabetes and other health issues for the past few years. Due to these health issues, Seetharam has been staying away from activities of the banned organisation, and residing in secret at the homes of sympathizers, police said.
The police will hand over Rs 5 lakh to Seetharam as per the State government’s rehabilitation package for surrendered Maoists. The Commissioner further urged other Maoist cadres to join the mainstream and take part in the state’s progress.