78 Maoists, including key leaders and dozens of women, surrendered across three districts in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Wednesday, handing over a cache of weapons and signaling the rapid unraveling of the insurgency.This wave of defections comes just a day after the high-profile surrender of senior CPI (Maoist) figure Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Bhupathi, and 60 cadres in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district, further eroding the rebels' stronghold.
In Kanker district, bordering Gadchiroli, 50 Maoists turned themselves in at a Border Security Force (BSF) camp, including two members of the influential Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC). The group, led by Rajman Mandavi and Raju Salam, included 32 women and deposited 39 weapons: seven AK-47 rifles, two Self-Loading Rifles, four INSAS rifles, one INSAS Light Machine Gun (LMG), and a Sten gun.
Among the surrenderees were five divisional committee members—Prasad Tadami, Heeralal Komra, Jugnu Kowachi, Narsingh Netam, and Nande (Rajman Mandavi's wife)—along with 21 area committee members and 21 regular party cadres. The Dandakaranya region spans Chhattisgarh's Bastar, parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh, making this a strategic blow.In Sukma, 27 cadres, including 10 women, laid down arms before police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials. Sixteen carried a combined bounty of Rs 50 lakh. They cited frustration with the Maoists' "empty" ideology, violence against tribal villagers, and the overwhelming pressure from security operations as reasons for quitting.
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Standout figures included Oyam Lakhmu (53), a veteran of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1—the Maoists' elite fighting unit—with a Rs 10 lakh reward. Others like Madvi Bhima (18), Sunita alias Kawasi Somdi (24), and Sodi Mase (22) from regional military units had Rs 8 lakh bounties each. Additional rewards ranged from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 3 lakh for others in the group.The defectors praised Chhattisgarh's 'Niyad Nellanar' scheme, which boosts development in remote areas, and the state's updated surrender policy. Each received Rs 50,000 in immediate aid, with full rehabilitation promised.
In Kondagaon, a lone woman cadre, Geeta alias Kamli Salaam, an area committee member and commander of a Maoist tailor unit under the East Bastar division, surrendered with a Rs 5 lakh bounty.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai celebrated the moves, declaring on X (formerly Twitter) that Naxalism is "crumbling on all fronts" and entering its endgame. He credited security forces' relentless efforts and linked the Gadchiroli surrender of Bhupathi and others as a "decisive ideological defeat."Since the BJP assumed power in December 2023, ending five years of Congress rule, nearly 2,000 Maoists have surrendered in Chhattisgarh. Sai expressed confidence that, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, India will be Naxal-free by March 31, 2026—a deadline Shah has repeatedly emphasized for wiping out the Bastar-centric threat.
Security officials say these surrenders highlight growing disillusionment and the success of combined military and development strategies in isolating the rebels. With over three dozen weapons seized, the Maoist arsenal takes another hit, paving the way for peace in one of India's longest-running internal conflicts.
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