Hyderabad, Oct 15 (IANS): The outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist on Friday confirmed the death of its top leader, Akkiraju Haragopal alias Ramakrishna.

The Central Committee of the banned outfit released a statement announcing death of 63-year-old leader due to kidney failure and other ailments.

According to the statement signed by the party's spokesman Abhay, he died at 6 a.m. on October 14 while undergoing treatment.

Also known as Saket, Madhu and Srinivas, R.K., as he was most popularly known, was a Central Committee and Politburo member.

Though the statement has not mentioned the place where the top Moist succumbed, police sources had Thursday said he died in south Bastar in Chhattisgarh.

According to the statement, R.K. suddenly developed a kidney problem. Though he had started receiving dialysis, his kidneys failed. It claimed that the party provided him the best treatment but it proved futile.

Terming R.K.'s death a big loss, the spokesman said his last rites were performed amidst revolutionaries. The party paid him tribute for the role he played in strengthening the organisation and serving it in various roles.

Haragopal was born in Palnadu region of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh in 1958. Son of a school teacher, he did post-graduation and worked as teacher for some time along with his father.

Attracted by the revolutionary politics, he took membership of People's War in 1978. He became active in the organisation in 1982.

According to the statement, he became Guntur district Secretary in 1986 and was elevated as state committee member in 1992. Subsequently, he led the organisation in south Telangana for four years and in 2000 he became Andhra state committee secretary. At the 9th Congress of People's War in 2001, R.K. was elected a Central Committee member.

In 2004, R.K. led the People's War in the talks with then Andhra Pradesh government. "He placed the people's demands before the government and along with other delegates discussed them effectively," said the statement.

The party alleged that after pulling out of talks, the government started targeting the Maoists and when it attempted to kill Ramakrishna, the Central Committee shifted him to Andhra-Odisha border area and gave him the charge of that area. He worked as AOB Secretary till 2014 and since then, he was guiding the AOB Committee. In 2018, the Central Committee included him in the politburo.

R.K. married Shirisha and they had a son Munna alias Pridhvi, who was killed in an encounter with police in 2018 in Ramaguda.