PWG Founder K G Satyamurthy No More

K G Satyamurthy, one of the founders of the People's War Group (PWG), passed away on Tuesday. He was 84.

According to family sources, K G Satyamurthy died of an illness at Kandulapadu of G Kondur mandal, in Krishna district.

He is survived by 2 sons and 2 daughters.

Satyamurthy, a Dalit Naxalite leader and literary icon, wrote revolutionary poetry under the pen name of Shiv Sagar.

Born in Gannavaram in Krishna district, Satyamurthy started his career as an English teacher at Fatima School in Warangal, where the legendary Kondapalli Seetharamiah was teaching Hindi. Soon they became friends, and Kondapalli shared his disillusionment with mainstream Marxist parties.

Along with Kondapalli Seetharamiah, he founded the People's War Group to translate their ideas into action, in 1980.

Satyamurthy visited villages, organised squads, and wrote revolutionary poetry under the pseudonym Shiv Sagar.

Virasam leader Varavara Rao later published all of Shiv Sagar's poetry and books in the form of a magazine.

Satyamurthy steadily grew in the party, and at one point, the government even announced a Rs. 25,000 reward on his head.

He was arrested in 1974 by the police.

Satyamurthy focused all his energy in his last years talking about the need to root out the caste factor in Indian society before any revolution changing the power equations in our society. (INN)