Surrendered Naxal leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi has been appointed as the Coordinator in the Ekal Programme of the Gondwana University (GU) here. The University needed a candidate for the post and it had issued an advertisement very recently. Bhupathi had applied for the post. He was selected after due process and was issued the appointment letter after consultations with the Police Department, informed Dr Prashant Bokare, Vice Chancellor of the University. Bhupathi, a once feared Naxal carrying a massive Rs 6 crore bounty, had surrendered before the Government in presence of the State Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis last year along with 61 other Naxal cadres. A politburo and central committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist), he was regarded as one of the most influential strategists within the outlawed movement and had long supervised its operations along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border.

His appointment order is for the next three months and further continuation will be considered by the University administration depending on his performance, stated Dr Bokare adding that Bhupathi will be paid a monthly honorarium of Rs 30,000. The University has taken this decision to send a message that the society can accept the surrendered Naxals who have abandoned the earlier path of violence and joined the mainstream. Bhupathi will work for PESA and Gram Sabhas among the tribal communities. His previous experience of the forest life, PESA and forest rights will help him to deal with his job effectively, it is hoped by the administration.

The role under the Ekal initiative

Under the 'Ekal' initiative, his role will involve informing Gram Sabhas about the rights granted to them under the PESA Act and the Forest Rights Act, assisting in the compilation of necessary documents for filing forest rights claims, and coordinating the process of rectifying claim discrepancies before submission to the administration. Bhupathi will also serve as a liaison between the Gram Sabhas, local villagers, and the administration. He will strive to help citizens secure their rights through legal channels in the very tribal regions whose issues he once viewed from a completely different perspective. Bhupathi will now be working with the people in a totally different role.

How the appointment came about

Speaking to PTI, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police (SP) M Ramesh informed that Bhupathi was seeking work where his experience at the ground level and knowledge could be used and he had filed an application for a job. The SP recommended his application to the Gondwana University's Vice-Chancellor, who, after taking his interview, offered him a job.