Seventy-one Naxalites, 30 of whom carried a collective bounty of Rs 64 lakh, surrendered to police and CRPF officials in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Wednesday, citing disillusionment with the “hollow” Maoist ideology, officials said.
The surrendered cadre included 21 women, a 17-year-old boy, and two minor girls aged 16 and 17. Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said the Naxalites were also persuaded by the rehabilitation drives ‘Lon Varratu’ and ‘Poona Margem’, and the state government’s new surrender and rehabilitation policy.
“Many of the surrendered cadres were inspired by the rehabilitation efforts and the opportunity to return to normal life,” Rai added.
Among the surrendered, Baman Madkam (30) and Manki, alias Samila Mandavi (20), carried rewards of Rs 8 lakh each. Shamila alias Somli Kawasi (25), Gangi alias Rohni Barse (25), Deve alias Kavita Madvi (25), and Santosh Mandavi (30) carried bounties of Rs 5 lakh each. Others had rewards ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 3 lakh.
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Baman, Shamila, Gangi, and Deve were allegedly involved in several attacks on security personnel, while the remaining cadres participated in logistics such as digging roads, cutting trees, and putting up Naxalite banners and pamphlets.
Since the launch of the ‘Lon Varratu’ campaign in June 2020, 1,113 Naxalites, including 297 carrying rewards, have laid down arms in Dantewada. Each surrenderee received an initial assistance of Rs 50,000, with further rehabilitation measures to follow as per government policy, Rai said.
Officials said the recent neutralisation of two senior Maoist leaders, Raju Dada alias Katta Ramachandra Reddy (63) and Kosa Dada alias Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy (67), had further weakened the outlawed CPI (Maoist) network in Chhattisgarh. Both were Central Committee members and carried a bounty of Rs 1.80 crore each. They were killed in an encounter near the forested hills of Farasbeda and Toymeta villages in Abujhmad, Narayanpur district, on Monday.
“The surrender of these cadres comes at a time when the outfit is facing organisational setbacks and diminishing morale after the elimination of its key leaders,” a senior police official said.
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