Hyderabad: In yet another surrender, a female Maoist leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), accused of killing two police officers, surrendered in Telangana’s Warangal district on Friday, February 21.
The Maoist leader has been identified as Vanjem Kesha. Disclosing details of this surrender, Warangal police commissioner Amber Kishore Jha said that she was a member of Chaitanya Natya Mandali since her childhood.
Woman Maoist leader surrenders in Telangana's Warangal due to ill Health . @TheSiasatDaily #Telangana pic.twitter.com/AuUMMucIIE— Mohammed Baleegh (@MohammedBaleeg2) February 21, 2025
Kesha’s father Hidma (who is currently in jail) from Rasapalli village of Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh was also a Maoist party worker, the senior police office notified.
“In 2017, Kesha joined the CPI(M) through Pamed local squad commander Gotte Kamala and worked in the Chaitanya Natya Mandali under the leadership of Punnem Joga for two years. Kesha was transferred to the Abujmarh hill forest area and appointed as a member of the Protection Group for Central Committee which is headed by Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy,” police commissioner Jha said.
In 2021, Kesha joined the Maoist area committee and worked there till December 2022. Later, she was transferred to Chhattisgarh’s North Bastar division for a short while. It is there where she met her future husband Ramesh, another Maoist area committee member.
Ramesh is currently lodged in a Maharashtra jail.
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Maoist leader charged with killing police officers
In April 2024, Kesha became the female commander of the Kosa Protection Group. During a gunfire exchange with police in the Koyalibeda village, she killed a police officer while seriously injuring another.
She has also been accused of killing another police officer in the Abujmarh hill forest area.
Both instances occurred in the Maoist-affected state of Chhattisgarh. Following the killings, the Telangana government placed a bounty of Rs 4 lakh on her.
Reasons for Maoist leader’s surrender
According to police commissioner Jha, Kesha surrendered after the Telangana government announced rehabilitation schemes for surrendered Maoist members. The Warangal police commissioner has assured her full assistance and safety for her surrender. Kesha has also been suffering from health issues for some time.
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