Members of State committee to oversee implementation of Naxal-surrender policy Parvatheesh, Banjagere Jayaprakash and K.P. Sripal addressing mediapersons in Shivamogga, Karnataka. One of the Naxals contacted Banjagere Jayaprakash to express their intention to join the mainstream.
| Photo Credit: File photo

The genesis of the recent surrender of Naxals in Karnataka has been traced to revelations made by incarcerated Maoist leader B.G. Krishnamurthy during a video call with litterateur Banjagere Jayaprakash more than a year ago.

While in custody in Kerala, Mr Krishnamurthy had apparently sought to speak with Mr Jayaprakash, whom he had known since their Karnataka Vimochana Ranga (KVR) days, before drifting towards People’s War Group (PWG) and going underground. Hailing from Sringeri in Karnataka, Krishnamurthy had been operating in the forests spread across the trijunction of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala till his arrest by the Kerala police.

Through video call

In December 2023, Mr Jayaprakash was approached by intelligence officials, who informed him about the incarcerated Krishnamurthy’s request to speak to him. When he agreed, a video call was arranged between them.

“It was then that Krishnamurthy, for the first time, revealed the desire of 7 to 8 persons from his group to surrender in Karnataka,” Mr. Jayaprakash told The Hindu.

Though members of his group were looking forward to surrendering even before his arrest, Mr Krishnamurthy had stopped them from doing so. After the arrest of Krishnamurthy, who was the lone member of the Central Committee of CPI (Maoist), the rest of the group had lost touch with the leadership.

According to Mr Krishnamurthy, the rest of the Naxals were ready to surrender if anyone from the civil society whom they trust comes forward and facilitated the process. Though Mr Jayaprakash suggested the name of farmers’ leader Kadidal Shamanna to take the lead, it did not materialize as the latter’s wife felt Mr Shamanna’s health won’t permit him to do so.

Mr. Krishnamurthy apparently sought for an interaction with Mr. Jayaprakash once again to take the surrender process forward as the Maoists were struggling to sustain themselves in the absence of local resources, snapping of ties with the central committee, and the heat turned on them by the Kerala police, which had resorted to ‘encounters’.

“If you send them a message, they will come to Karnataka and surrender. They are unable to sustain themselves,” Mr. Krishnamurthy reportedly informed Mr. Jayaprakash.

Only after this development was the State-level committee re-constituted in January 2024 to oversee implementation of the Naxal surrender policy, said Mr. Jayaprakash, who was one of the members of the civil society along with advocate Sripal and journalist Parvatheesha Bilidale. The chief of the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) was the convenor of the committee, which was chaired by the Chief Secretary.

Reaching the message

Subsequently, appeals for the Maoists’ surrender, bearing the phone numbers of the three civil society members, were distributed in areas that they were likely to visit. “Reaching our message to them was also a challenge as they did not use mobile phones or watch television,” he said. The appeal was also broadcast on the radio in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

The civil society members had laid down a condition that they would participate in the surrender process only if the government assures that it will not resort to an encounter, but the condition was violated when Vikram Gowda was killed in an encounter with the ANF, rued Mr. Jayaprakash.

It took the Maoists about a year after they first issued an appeal to respond with an offer to surrender while listing out certain demands. The offer was followed up by a visit by Sripal, besides Shantigagi Nagarikara Vedike member Noor Sridhar and others to meet the Maoists and pave the way for their surrender.

While six Maoists — Mundagaru Latha, Mareppa Aroli, Sundari Kuttaluru, Vanajakshi, K. Vasanthan and Jisha — surrendered before Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru on January 8, Kotehonda Ravi surrendered before the district administration of Chikkamagaluru on February 1 followed by the surrender of Tombattu Lakshmi in Udupi on February 2.

Mr Jayaprakash said efforts were underway to ensure appropriate legal assistance for the jailed Maoists to face the serious cases like UAPA booked against them.