July 1, 2025, marked the fifteenth death anniversary of Cherukuri Rajkumar, also known as Azad, a Central Committee member, ideologue, and spokesperson of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was killed on this day in 2010, in what civil liberties groups have described as a "fake encounter" with security forces in the forests of Adilabad, Telangana. Azad was involved in public communication for the CPI (Maoist), issuing press statements and interviews that aimed to present the party’s perspective, often at odds with mainstream media portrayals.
Reports indicate that at the time of his death, Azad was in contact with civil society groups and was carrying a proposal for peace talks between the Maoist party and the Indian government. His death, along with that of journalist Hem Chandra Pandey, has continued to be contested, with allegations of extrajudicial killing by police forces. Human rights groups and legal observers have called for accountability, arguing that the incident undermined efforts for dialogue.
The incident has been cited by critics as part of a broader trend of suppression under Operation Green Hunt, a state-led security campaign targeting Maoist insurgents in central and eastern India. Civil liberties advocates have argued that this operation disproportionately affects tribal and rural communities, particularly in areas with significant mineral wealth.
Azad remains a significant figure in the Maoist movement and is remembered within its ranks for his intellectual contributions and leadership. He is often referenced in internal publications and among political sympathisers as a key proponent of the party’s theoretical positions.
Born in May 1954 in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh, Rajkumar grew up in a middle-class family and later moved to Hyderabad. He studied at Sainik School, Korukonda, pursued chemical engineering at Regional Engineering College (REC), Warangal, and earned a postgraduate degree in marine engineering from Andhra University, Visakhapatnam.
His political activism began in college during the 1970s, a period of significant peasant and student unrest in Andhra Pradesh. At REC, he became involved in the formation of the Andhra Pradesh Radical Students Union (RSU) in 1974. The RSU came under intense scrutiny during the Emergency, and Rajkumar was arrested under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA). He later played a supporting role in the Tarkunde Committee’s investigation into extrajudicial killings in Andhra Pradesh and assisted civil liberties lawyer K G Kannabiran during the Bhargava Commission proceedings.
Post-Emergency, he rose to leadership in the RSU and was elected its state president, participating in several movements, including transport-related protests in Visakhapatnam. He was known for his oratory skills and was involved in multiple public campaigns until he went underground in the early 1980s.
By 1981, Rajkumar became a full-time underground activist. He was instrumental in forming networks such as the Revolutionary Students' Organisations Co-ordination Committee (RSOCC), which later evolved into the All India Revolutionary Students' Federation (AIRSF). Over the next two decades, he worked across several Indian states—Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Chhattisgarh—contributing to both political organisation and party literature.
He used various aliases, including Uday, Madhu, Janardhan, and Prakash, to operate clandestinely. His writings appeared in party journals and bulletins, and he was known for articulating the party's views on national and international issues. Some unconfirmed reports suggest he participated in international conferences and was involved in forming the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA).
Azad was involved in internal debates and ideological engagements within the broader left movement. He authored critiques responding to changing political positions, including those of human rights activist K. Balagopal, and maintained dialogue with intellectual circles on issues such as nationalism and armed resistance.
He played a significant role during attempts at peace talks between CPI (Maoist) and the Andhra Pradesh government in 2002 and again in 2004. Though these talks did not lead to a long-term resolution, they marked one of the few formal interactions between state authorities and Maoist representatives. He issued several public statements and interviews during this time, explaining the party’s demands and approach to negotiations.
Azad was also part of the organising collective of Mumbai Resistance 2004, an event held parallel to the World Social Forum, aimed at fostering international solidarity among revolutionary movements.
In his final years, he responded publicly to statements by the Indian government, including a detailed rebuttal to then-Home Minister P. Chidambaram’s correspondence in 2010. His last known communications sought to position the CPI (Maoist) as open to dialogue while resisting what the party described as state-led exploitation and militarisation of tribal regions.
While Azad’s contributions were significant within his party and among political sympathisers, analysts note that the movement he represented has continued to face major setbacks. Security operations have intensified since his death, and there has been limited mass mobilisation in response. Observers suggest that despite his efforts, the Maoist movement has struggled to build durable political structures or broad-based popular resistance.
Azad’s death remains a point of contention in debates over state repression, civil liberties, and the role of armed insurgencies in India. For supporters of the Maoist cause, he remains a key figure in its history; for critics, his death reflects the limits of militant political strategies in the face of state power.
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*Freelance journalist
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