Six Naxals surrender before Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah
BENGALURU: Six Naxals, including four women, surrendered before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah here on Wednesday.
This is the largest number of Naxals surrendering in Karnataka. Siddaramaiah declared Karnataka as a Naxal-free state following this development.
The surrendered Naxals are Latha Mundagaru of Chikkamagaluru, Sundari Kuthlur of Dakshina Kannada, Vanajakshi Balehole of Chikkamagaluru, Mareppa Aroli of Raichur, K Vasanth of Vellore in Tamil Nadu, and Jeesha of Wayanad in Kerala.
They were brought to Bengaluru under tight police security from Chikkamagaluru, where the surrender function was planned earlier.
Latha Mundagaru symbolically placed her olive-green uniform before the CM and submitted a petition containing 18 demands.
Siddaramaiah welcomed them to the mainstream by presenting each a copy of the Constitution and a red rose. Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, Home Minister Dr G Parameshwara, other ministers, and senior police officers were present.
“After holding discussions with the Naxalite Surrender and Rehabilitation Committee and other forums, these Naxals, who have been fighting against injustice, agreed to surrender. The committee members informed me about their discussions and Naxals’ decision to surrender. Our government welcomes their decision,” Siddaramaiah told reporters.
The government has policies to rehabilitate Naxals who surrender. They fought against injustice and exploitation with weapons, but they couldn’t ensure justice through their methods. The Constitution offers opportunities to fight injustice through peaceful protests and democratic means, he said.
The CM said the government will look into the list of demands submitted by the surrendered Naxals. He will hold discussions with his counterparts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu and seek their cooperation in rehabilitating the Naxals as some of them are facing cases in the neighbouring states. A fast-track court will be established to dispose of their cases. After discussions with officials, the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) will be dissolved, he added.
The Naxals were taken into police custody and produced before a judge.