RAIPUR: A total of 34 Maoist cadres, carrying a cumulative reward of ₹84 lakh, surrendered in the insurgency-hit district of Bijapur, around 400 km south of Raipur, on Tuesday, marking another significant instance of cadres laying down arms under the state’s rehabilitation drive.
Seven of those who surrendered are women. The cadres said they had decided to renounce the armed and violent ideology of the banned CPI (Maoist) and return to the mainstream under the ‘Poona Margham: Rehabilitation to Rebirth’ initiative being implemented in the Bastar division, police said.
“The thirty-four Maoists who surrendered belonged to the South Sub-Zonal Bureau and included members from the Telangana State Committee, the Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee and the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC)."
"As a result of the state government's comprehensive Naxal eradication policy and continuous efforts based on peace, dialogue, and development, the cadres in big numbers have decided to relinquish the violent path and return to the mainstream of society,” the statement issued by the Bijapur police said.
According to the police, the surrendered cadres included one Divisional Committee Member, four members of a PLGA Company, three Area Committee Members, eight Platoon and Area Committee party members, three Militia Platoon Commanders, five Militia Platoon members, one PLGA member and nine members holding positions such as CNM/Janatana Sarkar president or vice-president, and DAKMS and KAMS president or vice-president. All of them have decided to quit the banned outfit CPI (Maoist).
From January 1, 2024 onwards, as many as 824 Maoists have joined the mainstream in Bijapur district, while 1,079 Maoists have been arrested and 220 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters, Bijapur district police chief Jitendra Kumar Yadav said.
Official legal procedures are being carried out for the rehabilitation and reintegration of the surrendered cadres into society.
The ‘Poona Margham’ initiative has emerged as a significant step towards lasting peace and positive transformation in the Bastar region, the police said.
Under the surrender and rehabilitation policy, each surrendered Maoist receives an initial financial incentive of ₹50,000.
In addition, those willing to undergo skill training or set up a small business are eligible for further financial assistance. They are also provided free housing, healthcare, farmland and other amenities under the policy.
Since the BJP came to power in Chhattisgarh in December 2023, over 2,300 Maoists have surrendered across the state, officials said.