Chhattisgarh: Moist leader Ramakrishna alias Haragopal alias RK died of illness at Sukuma-Bijapur forest area in Bastar district on Thursday. It is a big blow to Maoist movement. RK was member of the Central Committee and he was commanding the movement after Kishnaji died in 2011 in Jangal Mahal area in West Bengal. Kishanji’s brother Venugopal was in charge for some time. Later it was RK who led the movement. RK hailed from Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh.
The talks, first and last of its kind in any State in the country, during YS Rajasekhara Reddy’s rule projected RK as the leading light of the Naxal movement. He led the Naxalite leaders in the talks with the government in 2004. The talks happened due to tireless efforts made by former IAS officer SR Sankaran, senior editor Potturi Venkateswara Rao, leading advocate Kannabiran, Professor Haragopal, Prof. BN Reddy comprising ‘concerned citizens committee.’ The efforts of the committee were supported by other elders in civil society such as Chukka Ramaiah. The government side was led by the then Home Minister K. Jana Reddy. The talks failed. During the talks Naxalites got converted into Maoists and PWG got merged in the Maoist party.
After the talks failed, RK went back to Nallamala forest from where he emerged for talks and started working in Andhra –Odisha border (AOB). In October 2016 there was a huge attack by the police at Ramadugu in which some 30 naxals were killed wiping out the MKVB (Malkangiri-koraput-Vizag Border) dalam. RK was reportedly there at the time of attack and he managed to escape but his 25 year old son Shivaji alias Munna was killed by the police. RK survived the attack to die a natural death five years later, on 14 October 2021.
According to Vanthala Balkrishna Naidu, ACM (Area Committee Member) it was RK who was leading the Maoist movement in the country with help of Uday. Naidu revealed this before surrendering to the police in March 2018. RK has been ailing for some time.
