Hyderabad, Dec. 27 -- The death of CPI (Maoist) central committee member Paka Hanumanthu alias Ganesh Uike in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Gasma forest area in Odisha's Kandhamal district on Thursday, has further deprived the party of its intellectual base, people familiar with the matter said.

With the death of 69-year-old Hanumanthu, who hails from Pullemla village of Chandur mandal in Telangana's Nalgonda district, the outlawed party is now left with only two active leaders from Telugu states in the top hierarchy - party general secretary Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji and Malla Raji Reddy alias Sangram, for whom security forces are searching.

Another top leader Muppalla Lakshman Rao alias Ganapathi, who headed the ...