Key Maoist military strategist among surrendered insurgents

Takkallapalli Vasudeva Rao alias Aashanna alias Rupesh (60), a top leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), was the key strategist behind many of the party's high-profile insurgent attacks, and one of the principal architects behind the armed struggle, people familiar with the movement said on Friday.

- Srinivasa Rao Apparasu

“If Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi alias Sonu, who laid down arms a couple of days ago, was the intellectual face of the CPI (Maoist), Rupesh was the military strategist, a master tactician in guerrilla warfare and an explosives expert,” a former IPS officer, who dealt with the Maoist movement in Telangana, said. Sonu along with 61 cadres and 10 senior party leaders surrendered before the Maharashtra Police earlier this week.