Hyderabad, Dec. 19 -- In a major setback to the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation, forty-one underground cadres, including six senior functionaries, surrendered before the Telangana Police on Friday, renouncing violence and opting to join the mainstream of society. The surrender took place in the presence of the Director General of Police (DGP), Telangana.

Police said the surrendered cadres included leaders of Company Platoon Committee Member and Divisional Committee Member ranks, indicating a significant erosion of the Maoist group's organisational strength and leadership credibility. Along with the cadres, twenty-four firearms and a large cache of ammunition were also handed over, substantially weakening the outfit's operational capabil...