NEW DELHI, Nov 25: Twenty-eight cadres of Communist Party of India (Maoist) carrying a cumulative bounty of ₹89 lakh on their heads, surrendered before the police in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district on Tuesday, the police said.
“Under the initiative ‘Poona Margem: From Rehabilitation to Reintegration’, a significant achievement was secured today in Narayanpur district, where 28 Maoist cadres carrying a cumulative reward of ₹89 lakh decided to abandon the path of violence and return to the mainstream,” Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) P. Sundarraj said.
The IG said during the last 50 days, 512 Maoist cadres in the Bastar Range that includes seven districts including Narayanpur, laid down their arms. It is also one of the three districts in the country — the other two being Sukma and Bijapur, also in Bastar — that remain most affected by the left-wing extremism, according to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
Nineteen of the 28 cadres who surrendered are women. They also handed over three rifles to the security forces. Mr Sundarraj called the development a result of sustained, coordinated, and determined efforts of the local community, administration, police, and security forces of the district. “The Poona Margem initiative is steadily becoming the foundation of lasting peace, rising public trust, and broad change in the Bastar region,” Mr Sundarraj said.
(Manas Dasgupta)