Former Maoist Leader Deoji Seeks Ban Lift and Democratic Political Role

Former CPI(Maoist) leader Thippiri Thirupathi, known as Deoji, surrendered in February 2026 and enrolled in a law college. He says he wants the ban on the party lifted so it can become a lawful, people-centred organisation, and says he is ready to enter democratic politics. In an interview, Deoji said he left his studies and moved to the Dandakaranya forests in 1984. He described being influenced by a farmers’ uprising in Telangana in 1978 and joining the Radical Students Union. He said he was arrested several times and tortured by police before going underground.