According to the police, a large number of Naxal cadres have become disillusioned by what they termed the “hollow Maoist ideology,” frustrated by the violence inflicted on civilians, and are drawn towards the state’s surrender-and-rehabilitation policy
According to the police, 112 Maoists have surrendered in Gadchiroli District this year alone. Representational pic
Eleven senior Naxalites carrying a collective reward of Rs 82 lakh surrendered before Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Rashmi Shukla in Gadchiroli district on Wednesday, news agency PTI reported, quoting officers.
Four of the cadres were in ‘uniform’ when they laid down their arms before the DGP, a police release said.
According to the police, a large number of Naxal cadres have become disillusioned by what they termed the “hollow Maoist ideology,” frustrated by the violence inflicted on civilians, and drawn towards the state’s surrender-and-rehabilitation policy implemented since 2005.
Owing to sustained operations by the Gadchiroli Police and the Central Reserve Police Force, 112 Maoists have surrendered in the district this year alone, PTI reported, quoting the release.
Those who surrendered on Wednesday include divisional committee members Ramesh Lekami (57) of Gadchiroli and Bhima Kowasi (35) and platform party committee members Poriye Gota (41), Ratan Oyam (32), and Kamal Veladi (30), all from Chhattisgarh.
Others who gave up arms are area committee members Poriye Veladi (36) and Ramaji Pungati (35), and platoon members Sonu Kato (19), Prakash Pungati (22), Sita Pallo (22), and Sainath Made (23).
As per the state’s rehabilitation policy, if a group of Maoists surrenders together, they are eligible for collective assistance of Rs 10 lakh announced jointly by the Central and Maharashtra governments.
In all, 146 hardcore Naxalites have surrendered in Gadchiroli since 2022.
Four Naxalites with Rs 23-lakh bounty surrender in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker
Four Naxalites — including one involved in the 2009 Madanwada-Korkoti ambush in which 29 security personnel were killed — surrendered before police and Border Security Force (BSF) officers in Kanker District on Wednesday, a senior police officer said.
The cadres, including two women, collectively carried a reward of Rs 23 lakh, Kanker Senior Superintendent of Police IK Elesela said.
They surrendered under the “Poona Margem” initiative, which aims at rehabilitation and social reintegration of Maoist cadres. The programme launched by the Bastar Range Police is emerging as a transformative effort to bring lasting peace and development across the seven districts of the region, Elesela added.
Of those who surrendered, Kajal alias Rajita Vedada (19), a member of Company No 10 in the Gadchiroli division of Maoists, carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh. The remaining three — Manjula alias Laxmi Potai (37), Vilas alias Chaitu Usendi (42) and Ramsai alias Lakhan Marrapi (42) — carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, he said.
Between 2006 and 2025, Potai, a member of technical team of West Bastar Division, was involved in 16 Naxal incidents, including the 2009 Madanwada-Korkoti ambush in which the then Rajnandgaon District Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinod Choubey and 28 other security personnel were killed, he said.
(With PTI inputs)
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