78 Maoists Including 43 Women Surrender in Chhattisgarh: Major Blow to Naxal Movement

A woman cadre with a Rs 5 lakh bounty surrendered in Kondagaon district.

Kanker/Sukma/Kondagaon:

In a significant setback to the Naxal movement, 78 Maoists, including 43 women and at least two members of the CPI (Maoist)'s Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, turned themselves in to authorities across three districts of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, according to officials.

This surrender follows Tuesday's major development when senior Naxalite leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao, also known as Bhupathi, along with 60 other cadres, surrendered in neighboring Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district.

The Maoists who surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region also handed over more than three dozen weapons, including seven AK-47 rifles. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai praised their decision to abandon the armed struggle, stating that Left-wing extremism is now collapsing.

In Sukma district, 27 Naxalites, including ten women, surrendered their arms. Among them, 16 were carrying a collective bounty of Rs 50 lakh, officials reported.

In Kanker district, which borders Gadchiroli, 50 Naxalites surrendered at a Border Security Force (BSF) camp, including two members of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), a key organization within the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), along with 32 female cadres.

The extensive Dandakaranya region encompasses the Bastar region and border areas of Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh.

A female cadre with a Rs 5 lakh bounty also surrendered in Kondagaon district.

A group of Maoist cadres led by DKSZC members Rajman Mandavi and Raju Salam reached the Kamtera camp of BSF's 40th battalion in Kanker's Koylaibeda police station area to surrender, an official stated.

The group surrendered 39 weapons, including seven AK-47 rifles, two Self-Loading Rifles, four INSAS rifles, an INSAS light machine gun, and a Sten gun.

Among the surrendered cadres were five divisional committee members: Prasad Tadami, Heeralal Komra, Jugnu Kowachi, Narsingh Netam, and Nande (wife of Rajman Mandavi). The others included 21 area committee members and 21 party members.

The Naxals who surrendered in Sukma before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials cited disillusionment with the "hollow" Maoist ideology, atrocities against innocent tribals, and growing security force influence as reasons for abandoning armed struggle, according to Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan.

The cadres also expressed being impressed by the 'Niyad Nellanar' (your good village) development scheme implemented by the Chhattisgarh government for remote villages, as well as the terms of the state's new surrender and rehabilitation policy.

Among the surrendered cadres in Sukma was Oyam Lakhmu (53), a member of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion No 1, considered the strongest Maoist military formation, who carried a Rs 10 lakh reward.

Three others - Madvi Bhima (18), a party member in PLGA battalion No 1's military platoon, and Sunita alias Kawasi Somdi (24) and Sodi Mase (22), members of regional military company No 2 - each carried bounties of Rs 8 lakh.

Additionally, one cadre had a Rs 3 lakh reward, two carried Rs 2 lakh each, and nine had Rs 1 lakh each on their heads.

All surrendered cadres in Sukma received immediate assistance of Rs 50,000 each and will be rehabilitated according to government policy, Chavan added.

In Kondagaon, Geeta alias Kamli Salaam, an area committee member active as commander of a tailor team under the East Bastar division who carried a Rs 5 lakh bounty, also surrendered.

Since December 2023, when the BJP returned to power in Chhattisgarh after five years of Congress rule, approximately 2,000 Naxals have surrendered in the state.

On social media platform X, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai stated, "Naxalism, which challenged the country's internal security, is now collapsing on every front and is going through its final stage."

He noted that the surrender of 61 Naxalites, including Maoist politburo member Bhupathi, in Gadchiroli delivered a decisive blow to Naxalite ideology.

"Our valiant security forces are fighting this battle day and night with indomitable courage and are achieving success," the CM emphasized.

Sai expressed confidence that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's leadership, the goal of a Naxal-free India by March 31, 2026, will be achieved.

Notably, Shah has repeatedly emphasized the government's determination to eradicate Naxalism, which is primarily concentrated in the Bastar region, by March 31, 2026.