Twenty-three Maoists allegedly involved in the murders of several security personnel and tribal villagers in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, with a collective bounty of Rs 1.18 crore, surrendered before the police on Saturday.
Eight hardcore Maoists from the formidable Battalion 1 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), were among those who surrendered.
None of the 23 Maoists surrendered with weapons.
Among those who surrendered is a divisional committee member (DVCM) identified as Lokesh alias Podiyam Bhima, 35. “Since 2007, he has been involved in at least nine cases of attacks, killing several security personnel in the Bastar region,” Kiran Chavan, Superintendent of Police, Sukma, said. At the state level, the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee is the top committee, followed by DVCMs in every division.
Another Maoist who surrendered was identified as Ramesh alias Kalmu, 35, who was the guard commander of top Maoist leader Madvi Hidma. Both have a bounty of Rs 8 lakh each.
Since 2024, after anti-Naxal operations intensified, over 1,450 Maoists have surrendered to the police.
“There are several factors behind the surrender,” Chavan said. “The new surrender Naxal policy, the Niyad Nellanar scheme, new police camps coming up in remote villages, increasing police influence, the inhuman and directionless ideology of Naxals and the exploitation and atrocities faced by them in the organisation, coupled with the discrimination by Telugu cadres, led to the surrender,” he explained. The Maoists who surrendered also did not like the violence inflicted on tribals, Chavan added.
Every surrendered Maoist would be given Rs 50,000 as a surrender amount and get skills training.
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On Friday, 22 Maoists with a bounty of Rs 37.50 lakh, including a DVCM member, had surrendered in Narayanpur.
