67-year-old Maoist leader chooses peace over violence

A senior functionary of the banned CPI (Maoist) party, Manda Ruben alias Kannanna (67), surrendered before police in Warangal district of Telangana on Tuesday.

According to officials, Ruben, who earlier served as Division Committee Secretary of the South Bastar Division and was a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, gave himself up before Warangal Police Commissioner Sunpreet Singh.

A native of Vangapadu village in Hanamkonda district, Ruben expressed his wish to lead a peaceful life with his family under the Telangana government’s Rehabilitation and Resettlement Programme, the commissioner said.

Ruben was drawn to Maoist ideology in 1979 while working at the hostel mess of Regional Engineering College (now NIT Warangal). Influenced by former student and then Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao, he joined the illegal Maoist group and went underground.

Between 1981 and 1986, he worked as a member of the Kunta-Bastar squad under the command of Lankapapireddy. He was later promoted as an Area Committee Member in 1987. In 1991, he was arrested by Chhattisgarh police during a medical trip and jailed in Jagdalpur, but managed to escape a year later with three others.

In 2005, Ruben became inactive due to health issues and began living with his family in Gundraayi village. While managing poultry and sheep farms, he reportedly continued to provide shelter, food, and intelligence to Maoist cadres.

Citing poor health, lack of physical strength, declining faith in Maoist ideology, and growing public resentment against violence, Ruben decided to surrender and return to mainstream life.

Police said his surrender would encourage other Maoist members to abandon violence and join rehabilitation efforts.