The Chhattisgarh police have made yet another major breakthrough in cracking the Urban Naxal network. Just a few months ago, a hardened Naxalite of 18 years, Pahad Singh had surrendered and blown the lid off their operations. In an exclusive interview to OpIndia, Pahad Singh had also revealed that Arun Ferreira, one of the Urban Naxals arrested was a member of the Maoist party and had attended several central committee meetings of CPI (Maoists), a banned terror outfit.
Now, speaking exclusively to OpIndia, IG GP Singh of Durg has revealed that Pahad Singh has given the Chhattisgarh Police another breakthrough. Singh revealed that one Narayan Venkat Rao alias Narayan Murthy, a highly placed government functionary has been arrested for his connection to the Naxals. Murthy was working as a conduit between the Maoists and the urban network and has been doing so for many years. His name was revealed by Pahad Singh during his interrogation.
In conversation with OpIndia, Singh revealed that Narayan Murthy, alias N Venkat Rao Murthy was working as a government official and a senior technical assistant in the National Geophysical Research Institute of Government of India since 1980. A resident of Hyderabad, he had intimate connections with the Naxal network. He is also a competent authority to issue explosives under PESO (Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisations).
G P Singh reveals that Murthy was in touch with the urban Naxals who have been arrested including Varavara Rao and has connections with the entire Urban Naxal network. He said that Murthy has got links to the Koregaon-Bhima violence as well. And that everywhere in the country, where such displacement was taking place, Murthy has in all probability played the conduit.
He also reveals that Murthy had attended several central committee meetings of the Maoists and had met Teltumbde several times. He also met Chief of Central Military Commission of the Maoists. GP Singh says that he met these highly placed Maoists at least in 2016 and 2017. He started his career from radical student wings in Andhra Pradesh and later graduated.
IG GP Singh said that a lot of material has been recovered from him including letters, literature and communication. Initially, Murthy was not opening up about his connection with the Naxalites, but because of the proof with the police, he could not deny his connections for long.
GP Singh says that his arrest is a major setback to the Naxal network and he holds many secrets that would be revealed over the course of his interrogation. He said that the penetration of Naxalites in important government is a cause for concern and will be further investigated. Singh also revealed that Murthy was an elusive character so far. None of the police departments had any idea of Murthy’s true designs and what he did for the Naxalites. His role was only revealed after Pahad Singh, the surrendered Naxal, started talking to the police. In fact, even the Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra police were not aware of his designs.
Narayan Murthy, alias Venkatrao Murthy’s brother is the President of PUCL, Hyderabad. OpIndia has been tracking organisations like CDRO and PUCL for the past few months. All the arrested Urban Naxals have links to these institutions and the details can be read here.
With the major breakthrough by the Chhattisgarh police, it remains to be seen if more names of Naxals who have penetrated important government institutions tumble out. It seems like the network is just starting to be uncovered and thus far, only the tip of the iceberg has been exposed.
