DGP B. Shivadhar Reddy. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
Telangana’s newly appointed Director General of Police (DGP) B. Shivadhar Reddy ruled out talks with the Maoists, asking what is the point of talks when there is no Maoists problem in Telangana.
Mr. Reddy asked the Maoists to give up arms and join the mainstream, assuring that the police will be sympathetic and there will be no harassment from its side.
“We are here to help you and welcome you,” he said while speaking to the reporters on Wednesday (October 1, 2025) after taking charge as the DGP following the retirement of his predecessor Jitender on Tuesday (September 30, 2025).
He said several Maoist cadres, including those from Chhattisgarh, had surrendered in recent months. Among them was Central Committee member Padmavati alias Sujata, who is currently undergoing medical treatment with police assistance.
The new DGP also referred to a statement issued by senior CPI (Maoist) leader and politburo member Mallojula Venugopal alias Sonu, calling for a ceasefire and temporary suspension of armed struggle. He reminded that Mr. Venugopal’s appeal was discussed even before the death of general secretary Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed in an encounter with security forces in Chhattisgarh.
This reflects that there was a serious discussion among the top leadership of the party on the ceasefire. He, however, said except the occasional sneak into Telangana their presence is minimal in the State.
On the controversial and inflammatory content on social media, Mr Reddy warned of strict action against those involved in character assassination of the leaders or individuals. He, however, was non-commital on the use of Preventive Detention Act against such individuals.
Earlier, taking to ‘X’ Mr. Reddy wrote, “With humility, I assume charge as the Director General of Police (DGP), Telangana. I remain committed to upholding law and order with integrity and to ensuring the highest standards of public safety. Together, let us strive to make Telangana a model of peace and progress.”
Later, he met the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and thanked him for trusting him with the position.
Mr. Reddy, a 1994-batch IPS officer of the then Andhra Pradesh cadre (later Telangana cadre) was the first Intelligence chief of Telangana in Mr. K Chandrashekhar Rao’s government. He fell out of favour of Mr KCR for some strange reasons and was sidelined for almost 8 years in the KCR government.
He was appointed as the Intelligence chief once again after Mr. Revanth Reddy became the Chief Minister. He served as Nalgonda SP and also Commissioner of Police of Vishakapatnam in the combined Andhra Pradesh.
Published – October 01, 2025 07:55 pm IST
