71 Maoists, Including 30 Carrying Rs 64 Lakh Bounty, Surrender in Chhattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, a group of 71 Maoists, including three minors, surrendered to authorities on Wednesday, police officials reported.

Among those who turned themselves in were 30 individuals with bounties totaling Rs 64 lakh on their heads, according to Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai.

The group included 21 women, as well as a 17-year-old boy and two minor girls aged 16 and 17.

Officials said the Maoists cited disillusionment with Maoist ideology as a primary reason for their surrender. They also expressed being influenced by the rehabilitation initiatives 'Lon Varratu' and 'Poona Margem' implemented by Bastar Range police, along with the state government's surrender and rehabilitation policy.

Notable among those who surrendered were Baman Madkam (30) and Manki, also known as Samila Mandavi (20), each carrying rewards of Rs 8 lakh. Additionally, Shamila alias Somli Kawasi (25), Gangi alias Rohni Barse (25), Deve alias Kavita Madvi (25), and Santosh Mandavi (30) each had bounties of Rs 5 lakh.

The remaining cadres had various reward amounts: one with Rs 3 lakh, six with Rs 2 lakh each, nine with Rs 1 lakh each, and eight with Rs 50,000 each.

Several of the higher-ranking Maoists, including Baman, Shamila, Gangi, and Deve, were allegedly involved in attacks against security forces. Other surrendered members had participated in activities such as road destruction, tree cutting, and distributing Maoist propaganda materials.

This latest surrender brings the total number of Maoists who have renounced violence in Dantewada district to 1,113 since the launch of the 'Lon Varratu' campaign in June 2020. The term, derived from the local Gondi dialect, means "return to your home/village." Of those who have surrendered, 297 had bounties on their heads.

All surrendered Maoists received immediate financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each and will be further rehabilitated according to government policy.

The surrenders come shortly after a significant blow to the Maoist organization. On Monday, two senior leaders of the banned CPI (Maoist) - Raju Dada alias Katta Ramachandra Reddy (63) and Kosa Dada alias Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy (67) - were killed in an encounter in Narayanpur district's Abujhmad region. Both were Central Committee members carrying bounties of Rs 1.80 crore each and had been key figures overseeing the outfit's organizational and military operations.