NEW DELHI, Nov 30: Thirty-seven Maoists, including 27 carrying a cumulative bounty of ₹65 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada on Sunday, the police said.
“Under the rehabilitation policy, the surrendered Maoists will be provided assistance of ₹50,000, along with other facilities provided by the Chhattisgarh government such as training for skill development, agricultural land, etc.,” the police said in a statement.
Among those who surrendered on Sunday, four carry a reward of ₹8 lakh each. One among them, Bhima alias Jahaj Kalmu, a member of the ‘Company No. 02’, was involved in firing incidents in 2019 and 2020, which killed 26 security forces and injured another 20, according to the statement. Weapons and ammunition were also looted in these incidents, a senior police officer said.
Another surrendered Maoist, Hungi alias Roshni Sodi, was involved in a major police-Naxalite encounter that took place in the forests of Gobel village and Thulthuli village in the year 2024, the officer added.
In the past few days, there have also been mass surrenders in Narayanpur, Sukma, Bastar and Bijapur districts, which, like Dantewada, are in the Bastar region. Security forces called this an indication of erosion in the lower cadres of Maoists, following the killing or surrender of top leaders in recent months.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) P. Sundarraj said a total of 1,160 Maoists, including 333 Maoists carrying bounties, have surrendered in Bastar so far this year. This includes 916 male Maoists and 244 female Maoists from Dantewada district as well as the border districts of Bastar, Bijapur, and Narayanpur, he added. Last year, around 800 Maoists surrendered in the region, Mr Sundarraj said.
On the numbers specific to Dantewada, district Superintendent of Police (SP) Gaurav Rai said over 508 Maoists, including 165 Maoists carrying bounty, had abandoned violence and joined the social mainstream in Dantewada district over the past 20 months. “A large number of Maoists, from senior leadership to active cadres in their base areas, have left the organisation,” the SP said.
(Manas Dasgupta)
