BHUBANESWAR/MALKANGIRI : In what is being seen as a watershed moment in Odisha’s fight against Left-Wing extremism (LWE), as many as 22 Naxals, including a divisional committee member (DVCM) and six area committee members (ACMs), surrendered and laid down their weapons before DGP YB Khurania in Malkangiri district on Tuesday.
Among those who renounced violence, seven were senior cadres, including divisional committee member and commander of platoon number-31 Linge alias Muye Madkam, and six ACMs. The remaining 15 were party members.
All the Maoists, 12 men and 10 women, are natives of neighbouring Chhattisgarh’s Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur districts. While 19 were members of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, two belonged to Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee and one from Gadchiroli Area Committee.
They handed over one AK-47, a self-loading rifle, two INSAS, three .303 rifles, two single shot/12 bore rifles, 150 rounds of live ammunition, nine magazines, 20 kg of explosives, 13 IEDs, gelatin sticks, codex wire and other articles.
As per the state government’s surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy, the Maoists in the rank of divisional committee member will be provided Rs 22 lakh each, area committee members Rs 5.50 lakh each and party members Rs 1.65 lakh each. Additionally, the cadres will be provided Rs 3.30 lakh for one AK-47 each, Rs 1.65 lakh for one INSAS and SLR each, Rs 82,500 for .303 rifle each and Rs 33,000 for single shot/12 bore gun each. For Tuesday’s surrender alone, the total admissible benefit has been put at Rs 1.84 crore, police said.
Police attributed the mass surrender to repeated appeals made by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to the red ultras to quit violence and join the mainstream along with intense and sustained operations by the security forces, disillusionment with Naxal ideology, leadership vacuum, lack of local support and the new and robust surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy of the state government.
DGP Khurania appealed to the members of the banned CPI (Maoist) to come forward and join the mainstream, assuring them of full protection and rehabilitation under the state government’s policy. Expressing confidence in the state’s security gains, Khurania said districts like Kandhamal, Rayagada, Kalahandi and Boudh, where Maoist presence still exists, are expected to soon follow the path of Malkangiri and turn away from violence.
“Malkangiri has shown that peace can replace fear. Other affected districts will soon emulate this success. We are confident that Odisha will bid farewell to Naxalism by March 2026. The momentum achieved through sustained operations, public cooperation and rehabilitation policies is irreversible,” the DGP said.
An interim relief of Rs 25,000 each was handed over to the 22 surrendered Maoists. As per the state government’s rehabilitation and reintegration policy, additional benefits like provision of a house under Antyodaya Gruha Yojana and marriage incentive of Rs 25,000 will be provided to them, said Odisha Police in a statement.
Besides, the surrendered Maoists will be enrolled free of cost in short-term skill development programmes with a stipend of ‘10,000 per month for a maximum period of 36 months. They will also be provided health cards under the policy of state or central government and free/subsidised ration under Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, Antyodaya Anna Yojana or other similar schemes.
So far this year, about 29 red ultras have surrendered before Odisha Police. Sources said most of the Maoists operating in the state are natives of Chhattisgarh. However, many of them are opting to surrender in Odisha as its rehabilitation policy is offering about 10 per cent more cash rewards as compared to the neighbouring state