He was a Maoist leader. His ‘experience’ has landed him a university role

Mallojula Venugopal (70), alias Bhupathi and Sonu, a former Maoist leader and Politburo member of the CPI (Maoist), has joined Gondwana University in Gadchiroli as a temporary coordinator at its Village Council Capacity Building and Training Centre. On his hiring, Gondwana University Vice-Chancellor Prashant Bokare has said that Venugopal was found eligible and his "knowledge and experience" were considered suitable for the post by the selection committee.

Venugopal was appointed as a CPI (Maoist) spokesperson in 2010. He came from a poor family, and his father and grandfather were freedom fighters, security officials said. He joined the People’s War Group in the 1980s.

In August, Venugopal, who applied along with several local youths, was selected after interviews.

As coordinators, they will visit villages across Gadchiroli and supervise the functioning of Gram Sabhas. They will also create awareness among tribal communities about their rights and powers under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), which extends the system of local self-governance to Scheduled Areas, as well as forest-related laws.

Venugopal surrendered to the police on October 14 last year along with more than 60 associates. He said he intended to continue working for tribal communities after spending more than four decades among them.

“As before, I will go among the people. The Constitution gives us rights, and we will work accordingly,” he told The Indian Express in February.

Speaking about his new role, Venugopal said the opportunity would allow him to contribute to implementing constitutional provisions in tribal areas.

“Although PESA was enacted in 1996, we made the mistake of opposing it until 2014–15. In some areas, we continued to oppose it until 2020, thereby preventing people from accessing the legal benefits provided by the Act,” he said.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police M Ramesh said, “After his surrender, Sonu was looking for a teaching or research opportunity. Through some research, we found that a university in Gadchiroli itself had a Tribal Study Centre. I made a recommendation to the Vice-Chancellor, and a panel later interviewed him for the position. The aim was to provide him with an opportunity where he could work.”