The ‘Iron Lady’ of Telangana: How SIB Chief B. Sumathi IPS breached the maoist fortress

From negotiating in the dense forests as an expectant mother in 2004 to orchestrating the surrender of a top Maoist leader in 2025, Telangana's first female SIB Chief has rewritten the playbook on anti-insurgency.

New Delhi: From negotiating in the dense forests as an expectant mother in 2004 to orchestrating the surrender of a top Maoist leader in 2025, Telangana’s first female SIB Chief has rewritten the playbook on anti-insurgency.

Two decades ago, a young, pregnant police officer sat across from hardcore Maoist leaders deep in the forest, facilitating peace talks. Today, that same officer has made history by orchestrating the surrender of the movement’s highest-ranking leader.

Meet B. Sumathi, IPS, the Chief of Telangana’s Special Intelligence Branch (SIB), who has proven that dialogue and rehabilitation can be far more lethal to an insurgency than bullets.

Here is how the “Iron........

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