PHULBANI/BERHAMPUR: A harcore Maoist couple from Chhattisgarh surrendered before the Kandhamal SP and IGP (southern division) at the district police office (DPO) in Phulbani here on Sunday.
The surrendered cadres, identified as Unga Kalmu (25) and his wife Mase Madvi (22), belonged to the Bansadhara-Ghumsar-Nagabali (BGN) division of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) organisation and were tasked with reactivating the north-south corridor from Jharkhand to Chhattisgarh through south-centre Odisha.
They have been a part of the banned outfit since 2018 and were involved in several violent incidents in the region. However, intensified anti-Naxalite operations by security forces in Kandhamal and unethical activities within the organisation like sexual harassment of female cadres, extortion, cannabis cultivation and rude behaviour by senior leaders led them to abandon the path of violence and surrender before police.
Welcoming their decision, IGP, Southern Range, Niti Shekhar and Kandhamal SP Harish BC assured the surrendered cadres of suitable rehabilitation under the government’s scheme which includes financial assistance, homestead land, housing assistance and vocational training with monthly stipend.
The IGP appealed to the existing Maoist cadres to shun violence and join the mainstream, further asserting that anti-Maoist operations would be intensified in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the District Voluntary Force (DVF), Kandhamal on the day unearthed a Maoist dump near Pangurmila village under Baliguda police limits, and seized a huge cache of arms. Further search operation is on.