BHUBANESWAR: Nine members of the banned CPI (Maoist), all natives of Chhattisgarh, surrendered before the Odisha Police on Wednesday. Two of them, Yoggi Madvi and Pozze Madvi, are women and believed to be top leaders.
Police said Yoggi (20) joined CPI (Maoist) in 2019 while Pozze followed suit in 2020. Yoggi was the personal security guard of divisional committee member Sila alias Nagmani who is an active leader of 8th company of Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division operating in Boudh district. The other seven were working as party members.
“Apart from the state government’s effective rehabilitation policy, relentless anti-Naxal operations led to the surrenders,” said ADG (Operations), Dev Datta Singh. Southern Range IG Jai Narayan Pankaj said due to enhanced anti-Naxal operations in both Odisha and Chhattisgarh, the ultras are possibly apprehensive of any movement anticipating encounters with security forces. That could be a reason why they choose to surrender before Odisha government, he added.
“In the last three to four months, at least five camps of BSF and CRPF have been set up in the core areas of Kandhamal and Boudh which were once the strongholds of Naxals. The Special Operations Group along with BSF and CRPF are also regularly carrying out area domination exercises in Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Boudh and this has deterred the Naxals from carrying out any activity,” said Pankaj.
Apart from anti-Naxal operations, the killing of red ultras in recent months has also left the middle and lower rank cadres dispirited. Two Naxals were killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces in Parhel reserve forest within Kantamal police limits in Boudh district on April 25. The killing of top Maoist cadre Dudu Mundari on February 3 was a major setback for the outlawed outfit, said police. Dasru was the chief of KKBN division.
The other Naxals who surrendered were identified as Bhima Kadti (22), Bhima Banjam (25), Bandi Banjam (30), Arma Raba (30), Malla Madvi (29), Deba Kadti (25) and Ayata Madvi (26). They are from Muler village in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district, said Boudh SP, Raj Prasad.
Police said security has been tightened ahead of elections as Naxals are using Kalahandi, Kandhamal and Boudh corridor to remain connected with the cadres from Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.