CPI (Maoist) Loses Key Leader: Death of Paka Hanumanthu in Odisha Encounters

Image Source: Internet

The outlawed CPI (Maoist) party has suffered a significant blow with the death of Paka Hanumanthu, a central committee member, in an exchange of fire with security forces in Odisha's Kandhamal district on Thursday. Hanumanthu, 69, a native of Telangana's Nalgonda district, was a low-profile leader but a crucial pillar of the party, particularly in training cadres on ideology and military operations. Hanumanthu had been underground since 1982 and was associated with the movement since the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) People's War, founded by Kondapalli Seetharamaiah in 1980. He studied up to Intermediate in Chandur and later pursued a BSc degree at NG College in Nalgonda. During his college days, he served as general secretary of the Radical Students Union, which clashed frequently with the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad. After a 1982 murder case, in which he was named as an accused, Hanumanthu reportedly discontinued his studies and went underground, following a call given by Kondapalli Seetharamaiah. He rose through the ranks to become a CPI (Maoist) Central Committee member, playing a key role in leading Maoist activities across Odisha, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. Hanumanthu was involved in several violent incidents in these states and was a prime accused in the 2013 Darbha Valley attack in Chhattisgarh. With Hanumanthu's death, the CPI (Maoist) is left with only two active leaders from Telugu states in the top hierarchy. His family members are waiting at Kandhamal to receive his body and bring it to his native place to perform last rites. The death of Hanumanthu is seen as a significant loss for the party, which has faced pressure to surrender to the police following Operation Kagar in the last year.