In a major blow to the Naxal movement, 51 Maoists collectively carrying a ₹1.61 crore bounty turned themselves in to the police in Chhattisgarh's Bastar division on Saturday. This massive surrender, which included 34 women, brings the total number of Naxalites who have abandoned violence in the state this year to around 300, as the March 31, 2026, deadline to eradicate Naxalism looms.
This comes as President Droupadi Murmu was in the region for the Bastar Pandum 2026 festival, while Union Home Minister Amit Shah was also scheduled to arrive in Raipur.
Furthermore, the Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, had himself seen and checked that 30 cadres had surrendered under the ‘Poona Margem’ rehabilitation scheme in the Bijapur district and that 21 cadres had surrendered in the Sukma district due to disillusionment with their ideology and due to their attraction towards the government's surrender scheme. Among those surrendering were Boti Podiyam and Sodhi Mahesh, senior cadres of the outfit who had a reward of ₹8 lakh each on their heads. In Sukma, a large quantity of arms was surrendered by the cadres, including AK-47s and explosive materials.
IG Sundarraj ascribed this early shrinkage of the Naxal network to various factors, including the strategic placement of security camps in remote areas, increased road connectivity, and the effective outreach of developmental programs. The individuals who surrendered were immediately awarded ₹50,000 as an initial aid, and further rehabilitation programs were promised for them. In his address, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai referred to the large-scale surrender as an actual representation of his government’s true results in establishing peace, trust, and growth via their "double engine."
Also read: Odisha's Malkangiri declared 'Naxal-free'
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