Hyderabad: Senior women Maoist leader Sri Vidya held at New Hafeezpet; was active since 1992

Hyderabad: Miyapur police have arrested a senior women leader of the banned CPI (Maoist) party at New Hafeezpet in Hyderabad

Arrested based on credible inputs

According to Cyberabad police, the Maoist leader has been identified as Narla Sri Vidya, also known as Karuna, Rupa, or Rupi.

She is a state committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and part of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) as well as EDC. Acting on credible information, Miyapur police apprehended her on July 24.

Background and family links

Sri Vidya hails from Tirumalapuram village in Pedda Kothapally mandal of Nagarkurnool district, Telangana. A B.Tech graduate from JNTU Hyderabad, she comes from a family with deep Maoist links.

Her father is a retired teacher. Her brother Narla Ravi Sharma was a Maoist cadre who was arrested in 2009. Her sister Narla Sridevi also worked with the Maoists.

She is married to Takkallapally Vasudeva Rao alias Ashanna alias Satish, a state committee member of DKSZC and prime accused in the killing of IPS officer Umesh Chandra and the Alipiri blast case.

Joined Maoist movement in 1992

Police said Sri Vidya joined the Maoist movement in 1992, influenced by her brother. Initially, she worked with Chaitanya Mahila Samakhya, a frontal organisation of the then CPI (ML) PWG, and formally joined the underground CPI (Maoist) in 2006.

She was active in promoting Maoist ideology among tribal children and youth in Visakhapatnam, Malkangiri, and Koraput districts, leading many youngsters from Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur, Kanker, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Sukma districts to join the Maoist fold.

Rose to top ranks

Over the years, she rose to the ranks of Area Committee Member (ACM), Divisional Committee Member (DCM), and State Committee Member (SCM). She was also involved in a criminal conspiracy case registered at the LB Nagar police station in 2019.

Carries Rs 5 lakh reward

The Telangana government had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to her arrest. Police described her apprehension as a major blow to Maoist organisational networks in the region.