Top Maoist in Hyderabad jail on hunger-strike against solitary confinement

Hyderabad: A former top Maoist has been on a hunger strike in solitary confinement at Cherlapally Central Prison since October 28, demanding the basic freedom to walk within the barracks premises.

Sanjoy Deepak Rao, who served as a central committee member of the CPI (Maoist), was arrested on September 15, 2023, is in solitary confinement for over two years.

Terming it a gross violation of Indian and international laws, the Indian Association of People’s Lawyers (IAPL) questioned chief minister A Revanth Reddy, who also holds the home portfolio, whether he would retain the moral legitimacy to remain in power if Rao took an extreme step inside the prison.

“Do you have even the faintest awareness that 84 prisoners died in Telangana jails in 2023, and 2,248 prisoners died nationwide, including 185 suicides?” Rao questioned CM Revanth in a strongly-worded statement issued to media, on Friday, October 31.

The solitary confinement cell, also known as the ‘single cell’ and ‘anda cell,’ is a jail inside the jail, where prisoners have no human contact, so much that they do not know who serves them food.

“Isn’t it a mark of barbarism that even to walk freely inside prison, a Maoist must go on a hunger strike? Even after approaching the High Court, its order was distorted, and Deepak Rao continues to be held in solitary confinement for two years. Will you admit that your administration is uncivilised?” the IAPL said.

Vishnu Vardhan Rao, an advocate, told Siasat.com that due to the lack of sunlight and fresh air, the physical and mental health of Deepak Rao had been seriously affected.

He said the jail authorities were violating the rights of prisoners lodged in the Manasa and Manjeera blocks of Cherlapally Central Prison by not allowing them to move freely within their barracks from 6 am to 6 pm.

The IAPL also alleged that jail superintendent Shiva Kumar Goud was conspiring to shift Deepak Rao from Cherlapally to Chanchalguda jail.

The association reminded the chief minister that under Section 73 of the Indian Penal Code, only prisoners who pose a threat to others can be placed under solitary confinement, and that too for a maximum of 14 days through a judicial order. The confinement can be extended for another 14 days only after giving a break.

“Have you, your police officials, or the judiciary instructed prison authorities that the law doesn’t apply to Maoists? Is so, is that not a blatant violation of the law?” IAPL asked the chief minister to answer.

Andhra journalist under solitary confinement for complaining

Maoist leaders and political prisoners being placed in solitary confinement is not limited to Telangana. A similar case of a TV journalist from Andhra Pradesh, who belongs to the Gond community of the Adivasis, is going through a similar ordeal in Visakhapatnam Central Jail.

He was arrested in 2021 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for allegedly having links with the Maoists and aiding them. He has been accused of passing information and instigating the villagers against police operations.

According to senior advocate and Civil Liberties Committee (formerly APCLC) leader D Suresh Kumar, an NIA official pressurised him inside the Vizag jail to become an approver and secure his release. He alleged that he was threatened with cases being filed against him in other states if he refused to accept the offer.

“Naganna didn’t accept the offer and a complaint was lodged with the district magistrate on July 3, 2025, alleging harassment. The following day, the journalist was removed from the general barracks where the political prisoners were housed and put in a solitary confinement cell. He has been there for four months now,” Suresh Kumar told Siasat.com.

He also said that in the NIA’s charge-sheet, it had stated that Naganna revealed the full details of others involved, and based on that statement, 84 people were arrested in Telangana, AP and elsewhere.

“In Naganna’s case, despite a complaint filed against the jail authorities with the NIA court judge for placing him under solitary confinement and violating the prison manual, no action has been initiated against the erring jail officials,” he noted.

Deepak Rao’s case is not an isolated incident of prisoners going on a hunger strike.

Relentless hunger-strike in Odisha jail by surrendered Maoist

Since October 15, Dunna Kesava Rao alias Azad, who surrendered himself before the former Director General of Police of the undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2011, has been on an indefinite hunger strike demanding that his cases be heard and disposed of in special courts of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, as per the orders of the Supreme Court on July 21, 2025.

Out of 43 cases filed against him after his surrender, he was acquitted in 10 cases, and in 16 cases registered in Andhra, he has not been produced in the courts yet. He has been lodged at the Jharpada high-security prison in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, for the past 14 years.

Also Read

Surrendered Maoist on hunger strike critical, CLC demands justice

Last week, he was admitted to a hospital as his health situation had deteriorated, as he was also suffering from Hepatitis. He returned to jail after treatment and has continued his hunger strike there.

Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News, Technology, Entertainment, Sports, Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS.