READING: Steel Fortress by Renuka – A Story About Struggling Until the Final Breath

The story in this book is a true account that clearly shows the importance of never surrendering and fighting until the last breath, as well as the strength of the masses.

“Steel Fortress” narrates the brutal attack carried out by the police in a village in the district of Telangana in 1993. The repressive forces of the old State launched an operation and used extensive weaponry (including guns, grenades, and bombs) with the aim of assassinating the Maoist squad that had been deployed on a mission to place IEDs. The squad had to resist in a village house without sleeping, eating, or drinking water, only resisting the police operation that lasted more than 24 hours during which they were constantly attacked. Five comrades were killed, and only the squad commander, Padkal Swamy, survived. The villagers who dared to help the guerrillas by giving them water and food before the operation were also severely tortured for days.

Showing the great resistance and commitment to the Party and the revolutionary struggle of comrade Padkal Swamy, in contrast to the brutality of the repressive forces of the old Indian State in their attempt to defeat the People’s War in India, this work is an inspiration to continue the revolutionary struggle until the last breath. The masses also play a central role in the work, showing their strength and how, despite witnessing killings and tortures, they do not hesitate to help and shelter the guerrillas. It is for this reason that this book is dedicated “to all the mothers who protect and shelter the warriors of people’s war within their homes, (…)”

On February 5, 2026, Padkal Swamy was murdered in a search-and-capture operation along with six other men and women comrades in the district of Gadchiroli. The author of this book, Renuka, also known by her nome de guerre Midko, was martyred in a fake encounter on March 31, 2025. However, as noted in the introduction of the work: “Both of them lived—and died—until their final breath for the revolution they believed in. That revolution may today be facing enormous difficulties. It may be in retreat. But the history he created through his courage and determination 33 years ago, and the legacy of ideals that the protagonist of this story and its writer have left behind through their martyrdom, can never be erased.”