A significant event unfolded in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district recently, as an impressive 71 Maoists, including 30 with a combined bounty of ₹64 lakh on their heads, chose to surrender to authorities. This mass capitulation marks a notable success for the ongoing efforts to restore peace in the region.
Among those who laid down their arms were 21 women and three minors, aged 16 and 17, highlighting the pervasive reach of the Maoist movement even among the vulnerable. Their decision, as stated to senior police and CRPF officials, stemmed from profound disillusionment with what they described as the ‘hollow’ and empty promises of Maoist ideology.
This wave of surrenders was significantly influenced by the impactful rehabilitation initiatives ‘Lon Varratu’ and ‘Poona Margem’, spearheaded by the Bastar Range police. These programs, alongside the state government’s comprehensive surrender and rehabilitation policy, offer former cadres a pathway to reintegration into society, providing a compelling alternative to a life of insurgency.
Several high-profile Maoists were among the surrendered. Baman Madkam (30) and Manki, also known as Samila Mandavi (20), each carried a hefty reward of ₹8 lakh. Shamila (alias Somli Kawasi, 25), Gangi (alias Rohni Barse, 25), Deve (alias Kavita Madvi, 25), and Santosh Mandavi (30) each had a ₹5 lakh bounty. The group also included one Naxalite with a ₹3 lakh reward, six with ₹2 lakh, nine with ₹1 lakh, and eight with ₹50,000. These individuals were implicated in various activities, ranging from attacks on security forces by leaders like Baman, Shamila, Gangi, and Deve, to logistical support such as digging roads, felling trees, and distributing propaganda materials by others.
The ‘Lon Varratu’ campaign, launched in June 2020, which translates to ‘return to your home/village’ in the local Gondi dialect, has proven remarkably effective. With this latest surrender, the campaign has successfully encouraged 1,113 Naxalites, including 297 rewarded individuals, to abandon violence in Dantewada district. Each surrendered Naxalite received an initial assistance of ₹50,000, with further rehabilitation support provided according to government policy, helping them build new lives away from conflict.
This significant surrender follows closely on the heels of another major blow to the Maoist hierarchy. Just days prior, two senior Maoist leaders, Raju Dada (alias Katta Ramachandra Reddy, 63) and Kosa Dada (alias Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy, 67), both central committee members of the banned CPI (Maoist), were killed in an encounter in Narayanpur district. Each carried a reward of ₹1.80 crore. Their neutralization, near the forested hills of Farasbeda and Toymeta villages in Abujhmad, on Monday (September 22, 2025), has severely weakened the outfit’s organizational and military capabilities, dealing a substantial setback to its already faltering ecosystem.