Fifty Naxalites, some with hefty bounties on their heads, renounced violence and laid down arms in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Sunday, marking a significant shift in the ongoing battle against Maoist insurgency.
Their surrender, occurring mere hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, displayed the growing fractures within the outlawed movement and the increasing success of state policies aimed at reintegration.
The surrender took place in the presence of senior officials from the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), with authorities crediting the development to both military pressure and welfare schemes designed to bring extremists back into the fold of civil society.
"They surrendered citing the hollow and inhuman Maoist ideology, exploitation of tribals by senior cadres of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), as well as differences brewing within the movement. They are also impressed by security forces setting up camps and the 'Niya Nellanar' (your good village) scheme under which forces and the administration are providing basic amenities in remote areas," said Bijapur Senior Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav.
"Of the 50 who surrendered, six carry rewards of Rs 8 lakh each, while three have bounties of Rs 5 lakh each. Five have rewards of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads. The District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), CRPF, and its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) played a key role in their surrender," Yadav added.
Also read: Bastar: 18 Maoists killed, 4 Jawans injured in encounter
They will be rehabilitated as per the government's policy for Naxalites leaving the movement and joining the mainstream, the SP confirmed.
The surrender comes ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state, during which he will lay the foundation stone, initiate the commencement of work, and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth more than Rs 33,700 crore.
Incidentally, security forces gunned down 18 Naxals, including 11 women, in twin encounters in Chhattisgarh's Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region on Saturday, recording a major success in the mission to eradicate Naxalism before March 31, 2026.
With the latest successes, 134 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this year.
Of them, 118 were eliminated in the Bastar division.
In 2024, a total of 792 Naxalites had surrendered in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, according to police reports.
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