In a big win for India’s battle against left-wing extremism, senior Maoist leader Pothula Padmawati, also known as Sujata, has surrendered to the Telangana Police. This happened on Saturday and marks a major setback for the banned CPI (Maoist) group.
Sujata, a 62-year-old Central Committee member, spent decades operating in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, and Maharashtra. She carried a whopping Rs 1 crore bounty on her head, making her one of the most wanted Maoist commanders. Police say her decision to lay down arms deals a heavy blow to the Maoist movement and shakes up their morale.
Born in Peninskal Padu village in Gadwal district’s Katu Mandal, Sujata came from a simple farming family. Her father, Thimarati, worked as a village postmaster, and her mother, Wanka, was a homemaker. She was married to the notorious Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao, alias Kishanji, who led the West Bengal State Committee until security forces killed him in an encounter back in 2011. The couple had one daughter.
Sujata got pulled into the world of left-wing extremism early on, inspired by figures like Patel Sudhakar (Suryam), RK (Sudhakar), and Sugna. She joined the CPI-ML People’s War Group in 1982 and climbed the ranks fast—from village campaigner to commander of several Talams, and later heading the South Bastar Division. By 2023, she made it to the Maoist Central Committee and even edited Puri, a magazine in the Koya language.
Telangana’s Director General of Police, Dr. Jitender, shared these details during a press conference. He explained that Sujata surrendered due to health issues and growing doubts about Maoist ideology. “She wants to live a peaceful life with her family and rejoin society,” he said.
Under Telangana’s rehabilitation policy, Sujata will get Rs 25 lakh, plus other benefits for surrendered Maoists. This comes after recent crackdowns, like the killings of top leaders Baswaraju and Balakrishna in Chhattisgarh. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a bold target to wipe out left-wing extremism by March 2026, ramping up the pressure on the group.
The BJP’s Chhattisgarh unit celebrated the news on X, posting: “Maoist commander and Central Committee member Sujata, active in Chhattisgarh and Telangana for decades with a Rs 1 crore bounty, got disillusioned with Maoist ideology and surrendered in Telangana.”
This year alone, 44 underground Maoists from Telangana and Chhattisgarh have given up, including key figures. Officials hope Sujata’s move will break the Maoist command chain and inspire more to surrender, speeding up peace efforts in India’s tribal areas hit hard by extremism.
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