RAIPUR: 34 cadres of banned CPI (Maoist) surrendered in four districts of Bastar, south Chhattisgarh, on the final day of the government’s surrender deadline.
25 Naxalites laid down arms in Bijapur while five others surrendered in Dantewada, two each in Sukma and Kanker district, Bastar police stated.
Following the surrender, the authorities recovered a massive "Naxal dump" (hidden cache) valued at approximately ₹14 crore in Bijapur. The recovery includes 7 kilograms of gold and ₹ 3 crore in cash, marking one of the most significant in recent times.
According to sources, the surrendered Maoist rebels provided crucial information that led security forces to the hidden location where the assets were buried.
Senior police officials stated that the 34 Maoists, who were active in the Bastar region for several years, decided to join the mainstream after being influenced by the government's rehabilitation policy and the increasing pressure from security operations. The surrendered group includes several low-to-mid-ranking cadres who were frustrated with the Naxal ideology and the hardships of forest life.
The administration has assured that the surrendered individuals will be provided with all benefits under the state’s rehabilitation policy to help them start a new life.
The Bastar region, comprising seven districts, is now declared by the state government as free from armed Maoists, marking a significant milestone in the decades of battle against the left-wing extremism owing to strategically sustained security operations, technological use with reinforced intelligence and simultaneous initiative of socio-economic development plans.
From the inception of Chhattisgarh state in November 2000, up until 2023, there were as many as 329 security camps in Bastar. Since 2024, an additional 103 new camps have been set up covering various critical axes to facilitate anti-Maoist campaign.
Security analysts told TNIE that it was in the late seventies when the Naxal movement entered the Bastar region as a small ideologically driven movement.
The official data reveals 516 Maoists were killed, 2587 surrendered and around 1350 weapons were seized between January 2024 and 31 March 2026 in Chhattisgarh. For the first time, the tricolour was hoisted on Independence and Republic Day in in 104 villages earlier cited to be the Maoist stronghold in Bastar.