HYDERABAD: After 43 years of being underground, senior CPI (Maoist) leader Pothula Padmavathi, surrendered and joined mainstream public life in the presence of state DGP Dr Jitender on Saturday.
62-year-old Pothula Padmavathi -- also known as Kalpana or Mynakka or Sujatha -- is a native of Penchikalpadu village, Gattu mandal, Jogulamba Gadwal district.
She was a Central Committee Member (CCM) and Secretariat Member, as well as the South Sub- Zonal Bureau Secretary and In-charge Janathana Sarkar, also called as Revolutionary People's Committees of Maoist bases under the Danda Karanya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC).
Her father, Thimma Reddy, came from an agricultural family. He served as the village Postmaster and passed away in 1983. Her mother, Venkamma, is a homemaker. She has three brothers and one sister. Her elder brother, Pothula Srinivas Reddy briefly worked with the CPI (ML) Peoples War Group for about two months in 1982.
The DGP said that she was married to Mallojula Koteshwar Rao alias Prahalad alias Kishanji, a senior Maoist leader who served as Central Committee Member (CCM) and Secretary of the West Bengal State Committee of CPI (Maoist). He died during an armed encounter with the police at the Bengal-Jharkhand border in West Midnapore district, West Bengal on 24 November 2011. The couple had one daughter.
While pursuing her Intermediate second year at Government Junior College in Gadwal, Sujatha was influenced by Marxist Leninist ideology through her cousins, Patel Sudhakar Reddy alias Suryam (CCM, died by gunshot in 2009), Pothula Sudershan Reddy aliax RK (DVCM, died after drowning in the Krishna River in Nallamala forest area) and Suguna (wife of Sudershan Reddy, died in an exchange of fire).
Inspired by their ideology, Sujatha joined the CPI (ML) People's War Group in December 1982.
Initially, she worked as a village campaigner (as part of the "Back to Villages" movement of RSU) along with Suguna. Later, she joined Jana Natya Mandali, where she briefly worked with the late Gaddar and Mala Sanjeev alias Lengu Dada (who surrendered in 2025).
Afterwards, she left 'Jana Natya Mandali' to work at the Peace Book Centre, Koti, for one year. During this time, she got acquainted with Mallojula Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji, then AP Committee Secretary of CPI (ML) PWG, whom she married in 1984.
In 1987, Sujatha and her late husband Kishanji were transferred to the Dandakaranya Forest Committee in Gadchiroli district, Maharashtra. Their daughter was left in the care of a trusted activist while both went underground.
Sujatha decided to leave the party due to her deteriorating health, the police said in May 2025.
Police said that her decision reflects a personal need to prioritise her well-being after decades of underground life. She expressed her intention to lead a normal life, take care of her health, and live with her family by availing rehabilitation measures extended by the government.
Pothula Padmavathi carried a cash reward of Rs 25 lakh, which has been handed over to her.
"In addition, she will receive further benefits in accordance with the Telangana Government's rehabilitation policy for surrendered cadres", DGP Dr Jitender said.
Inspired by the holistic and comprehensive strategy of the Telangana Police towards underground cadres of the CPI (Maoist), a total of 404 UG cadres including four State Committee Members (SCMs), one Divisional Committee Secretary (DVCS), eight Divisional Committee Members (DVCMs), and 34 Area Committee Members (ACMS) choosing to renounce armed struggle and embrace a peaceful life with their families, have surrendered before the Telangana Police in 2025 alone. Out of the 15 CCMS (Central Committee Members) of the CPI (Maoist), 10 are natives of Telangana State.
As of today, a total of 78 underground cadres of the CPI (Maoist) are natives of Telangana. Most operate in the state's border regions.
The DGP appealed to all underground Maoist cadres native to Telangana to return to their native villages, join the mainstream, and urged them to participate in the development of Telangana through constructive engagement.