Key Maoist leader surrenders

Krishna Reddy was involved in 10 cases and carried a reward of Rs. 4 lakhon his head

: CPI (Maoist) State Committee member Gajjala Krishna Reddy, 58, surrendered before Inspector-General (South Zone) N. Sridhar Rao here on Thursday.

Krishna Reddy, who also operated under the names of Gopal Reddy and Ramana Reddy, carried a reward of Rs. 4 lakh on his head, the IGP told the media at the District Police Office. Krishna Reddy, who is suffering from cancer, said he was disillusioned with the Central Committee’s lack of commitment to the philosophy and ideology, ill-health, and not being given due importance.

A native of Animela village in Veerapunayunipalle mandal in Kadapa district, Krishna Reddy joined the Radical Students Union in 1975 while studying B. Com. at the Government Arts College in Kadapa. The first case on him was registered in the Kadapa I Town police station in 1977 and he was arrested for snatching NCC weapons from the government degree college at Jammalamadugu, Mr. Sridhar Rao said. He went underground after release from jail and began recruiting students studying in government polytechnics at Pulivendula and Proddatur, and the Government Arts College at Kadapa. He occupied key positions in the Maoist party such as Pulivendula area secretary and State joint secretary of RSU, Kadapa district committee member, Kadapa-Chittoor joint committee, and finally as a State committee member.

Son of a Communist party activist, the Maoist leader was involved in 10 cases, including the murder of Pathigani Jayaram in Ekkilivanka in Rayachoti mandal in a land dispute, attack on beat constables at Sanipaya and snatching away four firearms and 40 rounds of ammunition. He was involved in the burning of the Rayalaseema Grameena Bank branch at Rayavaram, blasting of the sub-registrar and MPDO offices at Tsundupalli, blasting of the forest guest house at Sanipaya, burning of buildings housing Andhra Bank and SBI, and a telephone exchange at T. Sakibanda. Krishna Reddy is married and his son –Suresh Reddy — is a doctor.

Den-keeper

He worked as a den-keeper to the AP-Odisha Committee special zonal committee from 1999 to 2002 and ran a provisions store at Vizianagaram, stayed in Nellore till 2004, at Vijayawada till 2007 and had been based at Visakhapatnam from 2007 onwards, the IGP said. Mr. Sridhar Rao presented an immediate assistance of Rs. 10,000 to Krishna Reddy.