RAIPUR: Maoist commander Rupi, reportedly the last active Telugu Maoist cadre in the entire Bastar region, was killed in an an exchange of fire on Monday in the dense forested terrain of Kanker district, about 180 km south of Raipur.
According to a senior police officer, Rupi was an Area Committee Member (ACM) and with her death, the influence of the Telugu leadership —which historically formed the core of the Maoist movement in Chhattisgarh—has effectively ended in the Bastar zone.
Rupi was married to Vijay Reddy, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC). Reddy’s body was recovered following an encounter in the Manpur–Mohla district (Chhattisgarh) in 2025.
"The operation was launched following precise intelligence inputs regarding the presence of Maoists in the Machpalli–Aramjhora–Hidur forest areas, located along the border of Chotebethiya and Partapur police stations," said Nikhil Rakhecha, Kanker district police chief.
He said the forces engaged in a gunfight with the Maoists, which likely killed Rupi.
"During the search operation, a fierce gunfight broke out between the security forces and the Naxalites in the Machpalli area. Following the gunfight, a thorough search of the site led to the recovery of Rupi’s body, along with a pistol, ammunition, and various daily-use Maoist supplies,” he said.
Bastar Inspector General of Police Sundarraj Pattilingam said that the government has consistently offered opportunities for those associated with the Maoist movement to surrender.
"While many cadres have chosen the path of peace and rehabilitation in recent months, individuals like Rupi chose the path of violence, which ultimately led to this end," Pattilingam said, reiterating his appeal to the remaining Maoist cadres to abandon the path of violence and return to the mainstream, warning that their 'time is running out'.
Search operations by the police and additional security forces are ongoing in the surrounding Machpalli–Aramjhora–Hidur forest areas for any remaining Maoist cadres.