Raipur: In a significant development for Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, 78 Maoist cadres, including 43 women, laid down their arms on Wednesday. This mass surrender occurred across three districts in the Bastar division.
This event closely follows a similar large-scale surrender on Tuesday, where senior Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao, also known as Bhupathi, along with 60 other cadres, surrendered in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district.
Authorities reported that in Sukma district alone, approximately 27 Maoists, comprising ten women, surrendered. Among them, 16 individuals were carrying collective bounties totaling ₹50 lakh. Notably, Oyam Lakhmu (53), a member of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1 and carrying a reward of ₹10 lakh, was among the Sukma surrenders. Three other high-value cadres—Madvi Bhima (18), Sunita alias Kawasi Somdi (24), and Sodi Mase (22)—who were members of PLGA Battalion No. 1 and Regional Military Company No. 2 respectively, each carried rewards of ₹8 lakh. Additionally, one cadre with a ₹3 lakh bounty, two with ₹2 lakh bounties, and nine others with ₹1 lakh bounties each also surrendered.
Sukma Superintendent of Police (SP) Kiran Chavan stated that the Maoists surrendered before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials. They expressed disappointment with the Maoist ideology, cited atrocities committed by Naxalites against innocent tribal populations, and acknowledged the growing presence and effectiveness of security forces as key reasons for their decision to surrender.
As part of the rehabilitation process, each surrendered cadre in Sukma received immediate financial assistance of ₹50,000 and will be reintegrated into society as per the government’s established policy, Chavan added.
In Kanker district, around 50 Maoists, including two members of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and 32 women cadres, surrendered at a Border Security Force (BSF) camp. The group, led by Rajman Mandavi and Raju Salam, both members of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, deposited 39 weapons. These included seven AK-47 rifles, two Self-Loading Rifles, four INSAS rifles, an INSAS light machine gun (LMG), and a Sten gun.
The surrendered cadres in Kanker also represented various levels within the organization, including five divisional committee members—Prasad Tadami, Heeralal Komra, Jugnu Kowachi, Narsingh Netam, and Nande (wife of Rajman Mandavi)—along with 21 area committee members and 21 party members.
In Kondagaon, a woman cadre identified as Geeta alias Kamli Salaam, an area committee member and former commander of the tailor team under the East Bastar Division, also surrendered. She carried a reward of ₹5 lakh.
SP Chavan further highlighted that the state government’s ‘Niyad Nellanar’ (Your Good Village) scheme, which focuses on development in remote areas, and the updated surrender and rehabilitation policy were significant factors influencing the cadres’ decision to quit.
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai commented on the development via a post on X, stating that Maoism, which once posed a significant challenge to the nation’s internal security, is now “collapsing on every front and is in its final stage.” He expressed confidence that with the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the government’s goal of making India free from Maoist violence by March 31, 2026, would be achieved.