CPI (Maoist) Politburo Member Katakam Sudarshan Dies At Age 69

Bastar District, June 4, 2023: 69-year-old CPI (Maoist) politburo member Katakam Sudarshan passed away on May 31 due to a heart stroke, as confirmed by the CPI (Maoist) central committee on Sunday, June 4. Sudarshan, a member of the politburo of the CPI (Maoist) central committee, was operating underground in the Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh state.

According to a press release issued by the party spokesperson Comrade Abhay, Sudarshan died at 12.20 pm on May 31. He was underground for nearly 48 years. He was also known by the aliases Anand and Dula. He was a Maoist ideologue and an expert in the fieldcraft and hailed from Bellampalli of Adilabad district of Telangana state. He had a Diploma in Mining. He joined the CPI (ML) People’s War party in 1978, and worked as the organizer of the party’s ‘Back to the villages’ campaign in Luxettipet and Jannaram region, the press release said.

Sudarshan had worked extensively in coalfield areas and gave a fillip to the revolutionary movement after the Indravelli firing on April 20, 1981. He was then Adilabad District Committee Secretary and later in 1985 moved to Dandakaranya region as part of the ‘Guerrilla Zone Perspective”. Sudarshan led the Sironcha squad in Gadchiroli district, which was one of the seven squads sent to Dandakaranya, extending from Gadchiroli (in Maharashtra state) to Bastar district in Chhattisgarh.

Subsequently, Sudarshan played a crucial role in forming the ‘Retreat Zone’ extending from Adilabad, Gadchiroli, Bastar to East Godavari and was the “Forest Liaison Committee” member of the then CPI (ML) People’s War.

Later in 1995, he was appointed as the Secretary of newly formed North Telangana Special Zonal Committee (NTSZC). Subsequently he was elected to the Central Committee in the All India Special Conference in 1995. Also in the 2001 and 2007 Congresses, he was elected as a member of the Central Committee and Politburo of the CPI (ML) People’s War and subsequently the CPI (Maoist).

Sudarshan played a crucial role in building the revolutionary movement in India and had escaped from dozens of exchanges of fire with the security forced in his nearly five decade-long life in the underground. He would remain a great inspiration for the party workers, leaders, People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army members, commanders and the entire revolutionary community, said Comrade Abhay.

Sudarshan was editor of Kranthi, Erra Jenda, People’s War and People’s March publications at different points in time. The Maoist party called upon the people and upon party activists to convene memorial meetings to Sudarshan across the country.

Source : https://telanganatoday.com/senior-most-maoist-leader-katakam-sudarshan-dead

Source : https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/top-maoist-leader-katakam-sudharshan-dies-heart-stroke-178061

Source : https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/telangana/maoist-leader-katakam-sudarshan-passes-away-in-chhattisgarh/article66930299.ece