Telangana Police Intensify Search For Elusive Maoist Leader Ganapathi

Hyderabad: The Telangana Police are facing a major challenge in tracing veteran Maoist leader Muppalla Lakshmana Rao, popularly known as Ganapathi. His whereabouts remain unknown despite intensified anti-Naxal operations in recent years. Security agencies are continuing efforts to locate the former top commander of the Maoist movement as both the Centre and the state government push for his arrest or surrender. The ongoing effort has informally come to be known as 'Operation Ganapathi.'

The issue was recently discussed at a high-level meeting in New Delhi, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah. According to officials, Shah reportedly told the Telangana Police that Ganapathi’s surrender was a major responsibility. The matter has also drawn attention from Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who recently appealed to Maoists to lay down arms during a large surrender programme.

Security agencies believe that locating Ganapathi could deal a decisive blow to the Maoist movement. As the former general secretary of the Maoist party's central committee, Ganapathi led the movement for more than four decades and played a crucial role in expanding left-wing extremism across several states. Investigators say that under his leadership, Maoist activities spread to nearly a dozen states at their peak.

However, the situation has changed in recent years. Continuous anti-Naxal operations, including major security campaigns conducted by central forces and state police, have weakened the organisation. Several top Maoist leaders have been killed in encounters, while hundreds of cadres have surrendered. Officials say the Maoist presence has now shrunk, and their influence is reportedly confined to a limited number of police station areas in remote forest regions.

Despite these developments, Ganapathi’s whereabouts are a mystery. Police have been questioning several surrendered Maoist leaders and former gunmen who were once part of his security detail. According to investigators, some of them claimed they had last seen him around seven or eight months ago. There are also unconfirmed reports suggesting that he was moved from the Abujmad forest region in Chhattisgarh to Bihar.

Security officials suspect that he may have crossed into Nepal through Bihar to avoid detection. Intelligence inputs also indicate that Ganapathi may have anticipated the weakening of the Maoist movement nearly two years ago and disappeared before security agencies could close in on him.

Investigators believe he has been deliberately avoiding the use of phones or digital devices to remain untraceable. The 76-year-old Maoist leader is reportedly suffering from several health issues. Authorities also suspect that he may be living under a false identity in a place where medical aid is accessible.

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