Surrender Does Not Guarantee Freedom: The Story of Maoist Leader Dunna Keshava Rao alias Azad

In Jharpada High Security Prison in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, many accused in Maoist cases have been held in indefinite detention for many years.

Their life stories share a common, silent agony: endless remands, cases where trials have not begun, denial of medical care, and disregard for human dignity.

One of the most agonizing stories on this list is that of Dunna Keshava Rao @ Azad, a leader who surrendered from the CPI (Maoist).

Voluntary Surrender… But Indefinite Detention.

Dunna Keshava Rao (Azad) surrendered before the Andhra Pradesh police on May 18, 2011.

At the time, he was a member of the Orissa State Organizing Committee (ORSOC) of the CPI (Maoist) party.

The promise made by the government at the time was clear: Protection, rehabilitation, and a chance to return to a normal life upon surrender.

But in a mere ten days, on May 29, 2011, the Odisha police took him into custody and officially showed his arrest on June 2, 2011.

Since then, he has remained in jail for nearly 15 years. The surrender for peaceful life ultimately turned into indefinite detention.

Years Without Trial – The Betrayal of Promises

Over these years, numerous cases have been filed against him. The journey through the process of “investigation” has become the punishment itself, turning his life into an endless trial.

Being produced on Prisoner Transit (PT) warrants, facing repeated adjournments, and enduring the unending cycle of the judicial system—these have come to define his life.

Despite his surrender, the government did not provide him with rehabilitation; it continued to see him as an “enemy.”

He did hunger strikes several times in jail, demanding recognition as a political prisoner and a speedy trial.

His family has appealed to officials and ministers in both states multiple times, but to no avail.

Case Details, Supreme Court Orders:

When Azad appealed to the Supreme Court, the two DGPs of the respective states submitted details of his cases in their affidavits.

According to the affidavit submitted by the Orissa police to the Supreme Court:

·        It was stated that there are 43 cases against Azad.

·        In 10 of these cases, the trial was completed, and he was acquitted as of January 25, 2024.

·        Of the remaining 33 cases, the trial has not commenced in 18 cases, even though he was produced in court.

·        In 15 cases, he has not yet been produced in court, and they remain pending.

The affidavit submitted by the Andhra Pradesh police states that 16 cases are pending against him. It mentions that Azad has not yet been produced before the court in any of those 16 cases.

In the fourth week of July 2025, the Supreme Court delivered an important verdict in his case vide Writ Petition (Criminal) No. 511/2024.

The Supreme Court clearly ordered the states of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha to set up special courts, take up all cases for trial starting from the first week of September, and complete all cases against Azad within one year.

The month of September, as stated by the Supreme Court, has passed, and October has arrived. There has been no proper progress in Azad’s cases as per that judgment.

A report in the Andhrajyothy newspaper on August 21 stated that a cabinet meeting was held in Vijayawada under the supervision of the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. It mentioned that the 7th Additional Sessions Judge, Srikakulam, was appointed to deal with the 16 cases against Dunna Kesava Rao @ Azad.

That cabinet resolution has been confined merely to paper. To date, there is no substantial progress on it.

Letters have been written by Dunna Keshava Rao on this matter to the President, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the governments of both states.

“If justice is not served, my son will do hunger strike from October 15,” stated his mother, Dunna Komalamma.

Her plea is not just a mother’s cry. It is a historical indictment on the promises made by the state.

Along with the story of Dunna Kesava Rao @ Azad, there are many other lives quietly breathing behind the walls of Jharpada Jail.

These are the stories of those who fought for freedom and are still dreaming of it.

While the names of those counting the days within those walls are different—Chinna Rao @ Santhu, Ranju Killo @ Chanti, Dubasi Shankar @ Arun, Junumuluri Srinubabu @ Rainu—their suffering is the same.

Sentenced, Yet New Cases Keep Coming: Chinna Rao

Gameli Chinna Rao alias Santhu is an accused of being an active Maoist operative in Rayagada district.

In 2017, he was sentenced to ten years in a case involving an attack on BSF personnel.

Even after being sentenced and serving eight years in jail, the cycle of PT warrants, new cases, and transfers never stops.

Chanti –A Paralyzed person

Ranju Killo @ Chanti is an Adivasi youth from Malkangiri district.

He was arrested by the NIA in 2023 for a case related to an attack in 2012.

At the time, he was already bedridden due to paralysis.

His body was severely damaged during the time he spent in jail from 2013 to 2019.

After his release from jail, he lived in a state of helplessness, confined to his bed at home due to illness. Despite his condition, the police arrested him again in 2023.

His condition has now worsened. His both hands and legs are immobile. Despite months of treatment at a hospital in Cuttack, Odisha, he has been denied bail.

Fellow inmates say: “It is inhumane to keep a person in such a condition in jail.”

Jail Transfer is Their Life: Dubasi Shankar, Rainu

Dubasi Shankar @ Arun: Accused of being a member of the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) or Andhra Odisha Border Special Area Committee (AOBSAC), he was arrested in 2021. He is currently in Jharpada Jail.

J Srinubabu alias Rainu: He was arrested by Andhra Pradesh police in February 2023.

In his (Rainu) own words:

“Whenever bail seems possible, we pack our clothes—not because we’re getting out, but because a PT warrant in another case will send us to a different jail.”

The continuous transfer between three state jails—Visakhapatnam Central Jail in Andhra Pradesh, Jagdalpur Central Jail in Chhattisgarh, and Jharpada High Security Prison in Odisha—has become his fate.

“It would suffice if I were kept in Visakhapatnam Jail and allowed to attend court cases in other states via video conference. At least my family could visit me,” he pleads.

Where is Justice?

These stories raise some tough questions:

·        Why has indefinite imprisonment, instead of rehabilitation, become the reward for those who surrender?

·        Why is bail being denied to an Adivasi prisoner who is bedridden with paralysis?

·        Why are prisoners being held for years without trial?

·        Why can’t prisoners with cases in multiple states be kept in their home state, as they request, and attend cases in other states via video conference?

A Crisis Beyond the Jharpada Jail Walls

Jharpada Jail is not just a building.

It is a place where the law is silent,

A place where humanity is absent,

A place where the state has neglected its responsibilities towards prisoners.

The law may be silent there, but justice is absent.

The case of Dunna Kesava Rao @ Azad is a testament to this system’s failure. This surrendered Maoist went on a hunger strike for 21 days in 2016.

·        He fought for a speedy trial.

·        He fought for political prisoner status.

·        He fought for the investigation of the cases filed against him.

·        He fought to be regularly produced in court.

His mother, Dunna Komalamma, says:

“We trusted the law. But if even the Supreme Court’s orders are not implemented, what hope is left for my son? From October 15, my son is going on a hunger strike to inform this state to at least adhere to the Supreme Court’s verdict.”

This single sentence mirrors the “rehabilitation” policy for surrendered Maoists:

This is not a surrender that led to a peaceful life; it is a surrender that led to indefinite detention.

–Jabali,15/10/2025

Courtesy:https:countercurrents.org