Who Was Milind Teltumbde, the Killed Maoist With a Rs 50 Lakh Prize on His Head?

Milind Baburao Teltumbde was among the 26 rebels killed in an encounter with Maharashtra Police in Gadchiroli.

Milind Baburao Teltumbde, alias Deepak Teltumbde, was among the 26 rebels killed in an encounter with Maharashtra Police on Saturday, 13 November.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

Milind Baburao Teltumbde, alias Deepak Teltumbde, was among the 26 rebels killed in an encounter with Maharashtra Police on Saturday, 13 November.

The Naxal leader, who had a Rs 50 lakh prize on his head, had been under the police's radar for a long time.

A member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned outfit, Teltumbde had hitherto been operating in the forested regions of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

Here's what we know about the Maoist leader.

Milind Teltumbde's Origins, Initiation into Naxalism

Also called by the names of 'Jiva' and 'Deepak,' Milind Teltumbde is believed to have been 57 years of age at the time of his death. While the precise details of his birth are not known, Teltumbde was of Marathi origin.

Milind Teltumbde was educated in courses relating to Industrial Training Institutes (ITI), after which he worked as a technician in Western Coalfields Limited.

It was while working here that he become part of the All Maharashtra Kamgar Union, and subsequently adopted the Naxalite ideology in the year 1980. The shift is believed to have occurred after Teltumbde had a dispute with his manager, wherein he attempted to kill his supervisor.

Teltumbde's Role Within CPI (Maoist)

Milind Teltumbde, after he became part of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was made the secretary of the Maharashtra unit of the organisation.

Eventually, he went on to become part of the central committee of the banned organisation, and was subsequently gained charge of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh units of CPI (Maoist).

Shifting Locations, Diseases Aplenty: Teltumbde's Life in the Forests

An accomplice of Teltumbde's, who was arrested last year, had made a number of revelations about the Maoist leader's life during police interrogation.

The arrested person told the police that Teltumbde was suffering from numerous ailments, and that he always kept many kinds of medicines with him.

Teltumbde changed his whereabouts quite often within the forested region of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. He used to listen to Marathi and Hindi news through radio while in the jungles, his aide told the police.

Anand Teltumbde and the Bhima Koregaon Case Link

Milind Teltumbde was the brother of Anand Teltumbde, a renowned scholar, writer, and civil rights activist.

While Anand Teltumbde remains lodged in Taloja jail in connection with the notorious Bhima Koregaon case of 2017, Milind, who was believed to have played a central role in the matter, had been absconding.

The case against the Bhima-Koregaon accused relates to alleged inflammatory speeches delivered at the 'Elgar Parishad' conclave, which had been held at Shaniwarwada in Pune, on 31 December 2017. The police had further claimed that the conclave had been backed by Maoists.

Central investigative agencies had claimed that Milind Teltumbde had funded the violence that erupted after the conclave.

The Gadchiroli Encounter

"Around 26 Naxals have been eliminated in the encounter at multiple locations by several security forces in the region. Three security personnel have also been injured in the cross-firing. They have been airlifted by helicopter to Nagpur and admitted for treatment at a local hospital," Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Ankit Goyal told news agency IANS.

It had not known that Milind Teltumbde, whom the investigating agencies had been on a lookout from, would be among the Naxals targeted on Saturday.