78 Maoists lay down arms in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar

RAIPUR: In a major blow to the banned outfit CPI (Maoist), as many as 78 cadres, including 43 women, have surrendered in the districts of Sukma, Kanker, and Kondagaon in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division on Wednesday.The mass surrender in Chhattisgarh follows Tuesday’s significant development when a senior Maoist politburo member, Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi, along with 60 other hardcore ultras, laid down their arms in the Gadchiroli district of neighboring Maharashtra.In Chhattisgarh, the Red rebels who surrendered separately before authorities in the edgy Bastar region also deposited over three dozen weapons, including seven AK-47 rifles.Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai cited the move to give up the armed struggle as the collapsing of Left-wing extremism in the country. “Our brave security forces are fighting this battle with indomitable courage and are achieving success,” the CM said.In Sukma district, 27 Maoists, including ten women, gave up their arms. Among them, as many as 16 were carrying a collective bounty of $50 lakh, officials said.In Kanker district, 50 Maoists, including two members of the DKSZC and 32 female cadres, turned themselves in at a Border Security Force (BSF) camp.A woman cadre, carrying a bounty of $5 lakh, surrendered in Kondagaon district.The Dandakaranya region comprises the Bastar region and the border areas of Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. Kanker shares its border with Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli.Maoists in a group led by Rajman Mandavi and Raju Salam, both members of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), reached the BSF’s Kamtera camp of the 40th battalion at Koylaibeda in Kanker and surrendered. They also surrendered 39 weapons, including seven AK-47 rifles, two Self-Loading Rifles, four INSAS rifles, an INSAS LMG (light machine gun), and a Sten gun, a senior police officer said.The surrendered cadres include five members of the divisional committee, Tadami, Heeralal Komra, Jugnu Kowachi, Narsingh Netam, and Nande (wife of Rajman Mandavi). The others included 21 area committee members and 21 party members, he revealed.Those who surrendered in Sukma before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force officials cited disillusionment with the “hollow” Maoist ideology, atrocities committed by the banned outfit on innocent tribals, and the growing influence of security forces as reasons for shunning the path of armed movement, said Kiran Chavan, Sukma district police chief.The surrendered Maoists were also impressed by the ‘Niyad Nellanar’ (your good village) scheme of the state government, aimed at facilitating development works in remote villages, and the lucrative new surrender and rehabilitation policy, the officer added.Since the BJP came to power in December 2023 in Chhattisgarh, around 2,000 Maoists have surrendered in the state.



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