Gummadiveli Renuka alias Banu, a prominent member of the CPI(Maoist), was killed in an encounter between security forces and Maoist cadres in the dense jungle hills near the tri-junction of Nelgoda, Ikeli, and Belnar villages on the Dantewada-Bijapur border.
Renuka, who operated under several aliases -- Chaite, Saraswati and Damyanti -- had been active in the Maoist movement since 1996. She carried a bounty of Rs 25 lakh on her head from Chhattisgarh -- and Rs 20 lakh from Andhra Pradesh - and served as the in-charge of its press team in the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and the Central Regional Bureau. She was also the editor of the underground Maoist publication Prabhat Patrika.
Sundarraj P, the chief of Bastar police, said the encounter started around 9 am today during an anti-Naxal operation based on intelligence inputs. The exchange of fire lasted nearly two hours.
When the encounter ended, the body of one female Maoist - later identified as Renuka - was recovered from the site.
Security forces also recovered one INSAS rifle, magazines, ammunition, a laptop, and Maoist literature from the spot.
Renuka came from Kadavendi village in Warangal district of Telangana and held a law degree. She joined the Maoist movement nearly three decades ago and rapidly climbed the ranks. Her early days in the movement were spent alongside senior Maoist leader Krishna Anna in Andhra Pradesh. In 2003, she was promoted in the Maoist ranks and by 2006, she was active in South Bastar under the guidance of Dula Dada alias Anand.
In 2013, she moved to the Maad region and worked closely with Ramanna. Following Ramanna's death due to COVID-19, she was made the press team in-charge of the Central Regional Bureau in 2020. Under her leadership, several Maoist publications including Prabhat, Mahila Margam, Awami Jung, People's March, Jhankar, and Pituri were regularly issued to propagate Maoist ideology.
Her personal life was equally entrenched in the movement. In 2005, she married central committee member Shankamuri Appa Rao alias Ravi, who was killed in an encounter in Nallamalla forest (Andhra Pradesh) in 2010. Her brother, Gudsa Usendi alias GVK Prasad - a member of the Maoists' Dandakarnya unit - had surrendered in Telangana in 2014.
A Major Blow to CPI (Maoist)
Renuka's killing marks the elimination of the eighth high-ranking Maoist leader in Bastar in the last 15 months. Others include Joganna, Karthik, Nidhi, Sagar, Sudhir alias Sudhakar and Jagdish. Official records indicate that 119 Maoists have been neutralized in the Bastar region alone so far this year.
Senior police officers Kamalochan Kashyap and Dantewada Gaurav Rai confirmed the operation's success and reiterated that anti-Naxal drives will continue with the same momentum. Another officer, Sundarraj P, emphasized that with the growing number of losses in their senior ranks, Maoist cadres now have no choice but to surrender or face elimination.
"This operation reflects the commitment of our forces and the resolve of the people of Bastar for peace and development. The Maoist ideology has no place in a democratic society. We once again appeal to all Maoist cadres to lay down arms and return to the mainstream," he added.
