Raipur: Dreaded Maoist leader of Chhattisgarh Ravula Srinivas aka Kunta aka Ramanna, who died allegedly of a cardiac attack Tuesday, was a ‘strong-headed’ extremist, who had joined the CPI(Maoist) when he was just 18 years old.
Between 1989 and 2015, Ramanna has masterminded the killing of more than 150 security personnel, deployed in Naxal-hit areas of Bastar.
According to Chhattisgarh police and state authorities, Ramanna was a leader driven by strong ideology, who played a crucial role in strengthening Maoist cadres in the hinterland of Bastar.
It is believed that the Maoist movement in Chhattisgarh began taking root in the late 1980s — the time when Ramanna relocated himself to Bastar from Bhadrachalam, Telangana, to work in the Dandakaranya region.
Police officers engaged in anti-Maoist operations in Bastar told ThePrint that Ramanna was known to be a master strategist because of the way he used to plan and execute ideas — thus instilling confidence among the cadres.
He married Savitri, also a Maiost hailing from Konta area in Bastar, after the death of his first wife in Andhra Pradesh. Savitri was killed in a police encounter a few years ago.
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Four states had announced cash reward on his head
Ramanna carried a collective bounty of over Rs 1 crore on his head — across four states.
The Chhattisgarh government had announced Rs 40 lakh cash award, while Maharashtra announced Rs 60 lakh — the highest — on Ramanna’s head. The Telangana government had announced Rs 25 lakh, while the Jharkhand government placed Rs 12 lakh cash award on Ramanna.
Police officials said Ramanna was booked under 32 cases of murder and loot in Bastar. These cases included killing of 23 jawans in 2007 and 76 security personnel in 2010 in Sukma.
Had joined the CPI(M) in Telangana
Ramanna had joined the CPI(Maoist) at Bhadrachalam in 1982. He then came to Bastar in 1985 and this was the time when Maoism began rearing its ugly head in southern parts of Chhattisgarh.
In 1998, he took over as the secretary of the CPI(Maoist)’s Dakshin Bastar Committee. He formed another CPI(Maoist) outfit in 2003 for the purpose of expanding Naxal base to other areas and later took over the leadership of the Dakshin committee in 2006.
He continued unabated attacks against security forces between 2011 and 2013, police said.
‘Difficult to say exact cause of his death’
Although it’s being widely reported that Ramanna died of cardiac attack, but according to senior police officials, the exact cause of his death cannot be ascertained.
Talking to ThePrint, Inspector General, Bastar range, Vivekanand Sinha said, “It’s difficult to say the real cause of his death. We are trying to extract information if he was suffering from any ailment or if he had any health issues. It’s a little difficult to get detailed information about Ramanna as he did not interact much with people or even his cadres.”
Police officials say information related to Ramanna’s death will come up once the CPI(Maoist) decides to publish articles on him in their leaflets or in-house journals.
Blow to Maoist cadres in Bastar
Senior police officials in the state said that Ramanna’s death is a blow to the Maoists in Chhattisgarh as he was mainly an organisational man — highly skilled in making plans for recruiting young tribals.
“He was a founding member of the (Maoist) movement in Chhattisgarh. Ramanna’s demise is likely to deepen the crisis of sagging popularity of CPI(M) among young tribals in the region. Of late, tribal youths are showing less eagerness to join the movement,” said IG Sinha.
Ramanna is survived by his 23-year-old son Ranjith, who is also a member of the CPI(Maoist).
“With barely middle-school education, Ranjith presently has no record of unlawful activity as a member of the CPI(M). However, he is presently heading the CPI(M)-regulated Chaitanya Natya Academy,” said IG Sinha.
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