66 Naxalites surrender in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, 49 carried rewards totalling over Rs 2.27 crore
In a major crackdown on Maoist insurgency, 66 Naxalites, including 49 carrying a total bounty of Rs 2.27 crore, surrendered across five districts in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar division on Thursday. Among them were several key Maoist operatives with high rewards including an Odisha state committee member.
In a major blow to the Maoist movement in Chhattisgarh, 66 Naxalites, including 49 carrying a combined bounty of Rs 2.27 crore, surrendered before security forces in five districts of the state's Bastar division on Thursday, police officials said. The surrenders took place in Bijapur (25), Dantewada (15), Kanker (13), Narayanpur (8), and Sukma (5) districts. Among them, 27 were women, according to officials.
Police said the cadres, many of whom held key positions in Maoist formations, surrendered due to growing disenchantment with the "hollow" Maoist ideology, internal rifts within the banned outfit, and frustration over atrocities committed against innocent tribals. Many also cited their support for the ‘Niyad Nellanar’ scheme, a government initiative aimed at improving village infrastructure, and the Poona Margham rehabilitation programme launched by Bastar Range police.
Top Maoist leaders among those who surrendered
In Bijapur, 23 out of 25 surrendered Naxalites carried a total bounty of Rs 1.15 crore. Among them were:
- Ramanna Irpa (37), a member of the Maoists’ Odisha state and special zonal committees, carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh.
- Rame Kalmu (30), his wife and a platoon party committee member, with a bounty of Rs 8 lakh.
- Others like Sukku Kalmu (38), Bablu Madvi (30), Kosi Madkam (28), and Reena Vanjam (28), all held crucial roles and had bounties of Rs 8 lakh each, said Bijapur SP Jitendra Kumar Yadav.
In Dantewada, five of the 15 surrendered Maoists carried rewards amounting to Rs 17 lakh. This included:
- Budhram alias Lalu Kuhram, a divisional committee member, and his wife Kamli alias Moti Potawi, who carried bounties of Rs 8 lakh and Rs 5 lakh respectively, said Additional SP Udit Pushkar.
- With these surrenders, the total number of Naxalites who have laid down arms in Dantewada since the launch of the ‘Lon Varratu’ (Return to Your Village) campaign in 2020 has reached 1,020, including 254 with rewards.
- In Kanker, the 13 surrendered ultras carried a cumulative bounty of Rs 62 lakh, according to SP Indira Kalyan Elesela.
- In Narayanpur, eight Naxalites surrendered, with total rewards of Rs 33 lakh. Among them was Vatti Ganga alias Mukesh (44), the in-charge of the Maoists' north bureau technical team, with a reward of Rs 8 lakh, SP Robinson Guria said.
- All those who surrendered were given Rs 50,000 each as immediate assistance and will be further rehabilitated under the state government’s policy, police added.
(With PTI inputs)