10 to 5 job, desk and a laptop: Portrait of an ex-Maoist as a university official

Mallojula Venugopal’s life changed from underground Maoist activity to a public university job. He surrendered on October 15, 2025, after serving in the Maoist top ranks with a Rs 6 crore bounty on his head. He now works as a coordinator with Gondwana University’s Ekal Gramsabha Project and Centre. The change matters because his former experience is being used in legal, village-level development work.

Venugopal applied after seeing a newspaper advertisement. The job required knowledge of PESA, the Forest Rights Act, MNREGS and the Biodiversity Act, along with experience working with forests and tribal communities. He met those requirements. His work includes data collection, meeting villagers and helping gram sabhas understand laws and opportunities.

He works from a small cabin, with two police personnel outside. University staff say the programme is running smoothly. Venugopal says villagers now approach him to understand their rights. His appointment also faces criticism from people who say rehabilitation should not mean a high-ranking position.

The Maoist insurgency in India is an armed communist movement that seeks revolutionary political change and has fought the state through underground organisation and violence. It has operated especially in remote forest and tribal regions. The source article does not provide a full history of the insurgency, so this broader definition comes from established background knowledge. Its effects include deaths among police personnel, civilians and tribal communities.

Venugopal was not an ordinary cadre. The article identifies him as Mallojula Venugopal, also known as Sonu or Bhupathi, and says he belonged to the Maoist top ranks. Authorities had placed a Rs 6 crore bounty on him. He surrendered with 60 other cadres and around 50 weapons, in the presence of Maharashtra’s Chief Minister.

His later role shows a sharp reversal. He now works with gram sabhas and government-linked programmes. He says Maoist opposition to some forest and land laws was wrong. His experience is now being applied to legal efforts over rights and local development.

The Ekal Gram Sabha Project is a university-supported outreach programme for village assemblies in Gadchiroli. It matters because many local decisions involve forest rights, biodiversity, water, government schemes and minor forest produce. The project aims to reduce the trust and communication gap between gram sabhas and the district administration, while helping communities use legal rights and public programmes.

Gondwana University trains gram sabha members in community forest rights, biodiversity registers, and forest and water conservation. The programme also gives villages direct access to government schemes, supports forest conservation and helps them sell minor forest produce without middlemen. Five people from each gram sabha receive training and then share it in their villages.

The project works through coordination among the university, district administration and village assemblies. Since December 2022, about 3,500 people from around 600 gram sabhas have been trained. The centre has helped 232 villages complete forest management plans and more than 100 secure community forest rights.

The Ekal programme operates across Gadchiroli district, where the article identifies 1,200 gram sabhas. Its planned reach is substantial because it combines university teaching, district administration and village-level training. The programme was designed not only to explain laws, but also to improve access to schemes, strengthen forest conservation and help communities sell minor forest produce directly.

When the programme was conceived, the administration signed MoUs with around 750 of Gadchiroli’s 1,200 gram sabhas. Since December 2022, the Ekal Centre has trained approximately 3,500 people from around 600 gram sabhas. Five representatives from each village are trained, and they pass knowledge to other residents.

The programme has also produced practical results. It helped 232 gram sabhas complete forest management plans and enabled more than 100 to secure community forest rights. Gondwana University says it wants the programme to continue, and its special Ekal Board of Studies now has more than 16 members.

When former insurgents receive support and suitable employment, they may move from underground armed activity into civilian institutions. Venugopal’s case shows this transition clearly. After surrendering, he received financial and administrative support under Maharashtra’s rehabilitation policy and found work connected to his previous knowledge. The change matters because rehabilitation can link personal reintegration with public service.

Venugopal now trains and interacts with villagers instead of operating in the jungle. He understands forest management, tribal communities and laws such as PESA and the Forest Rights Act. The police say surrendered cadres are helped when they are eligible. Villagers approaching Venugopal for guidance suggests that his experience can be redirected toward legal awareness and community work.

The result is not universally accepted. Jan Sangharsha Samiti representative Datta Shirke argued that giving Venugopal a high-ranking position insults people affected by Maoist violence. Venugopal acknowledges the concern but asks people to judge his present work separately. The article presents rehabilitation as useful, but contested.

PESA and the Forest Rights Act offer a legal alternative to armed struggle by giving gram sabhas greater authority in local governance and over forest land and resources. Instead of seeking change through violence or underground mobilisation, communities can use recognised rights, records, plans and government procedures. This matters especially where land and forests are central to tribal life.

The Ekal Centre turns those laws into practical action. It trains villagers on community forest rights, biodiversity registers and conservation. It also helps gram sabhas prepare forest management plans and gain direct access to government schemes. More than 100 gram sabhas have secured community forest rights through the programme, while 232 completed forest management plans.

Venugopal says the Maoist opposition to PESA and the Forest Rights Act was wrong. He believes tribal communities could have benefited earlier if the movement had recognised the importance of land and forest rights. His current work shows how legal knowledge can replace armed confrontation with organised local participation.

A gram sabha is a village-level assembly through which residents discuss and act on local matters. In the article’s context, gram sabhas are the local bodies being trained to use PESA and the Forest Rights Act. Their role matters because tribal communities depend closely on land, forests, water and minor forest produce. Local participation can make decisions more responsive to village needs.

The Ekal Centre trains five people from each gram sabha, who then teach others. Training covers community forest rights, biodiversity registers, forest management and water conservation. The programme also aims to give gram sabhas direct access to government schemes and help them sell minor forest produce without middlemen. This connects local knowledge with administrative support.

The programme has helped 232 gram sabhas complete forest management plans and more than 100 secure community forest rights. Around 600 gram sabhas have contributed people to its training effort. Venugopal says villagers approaching him shows growing awareness that people can pursue their rights through organised, legal action.