Raipur
A top Maoist leader, a Politburo member carrying a reward of around ₹1.5 crore, has surrendered to authorities.
The surrender took place in Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, bordering Chhattisgarh. Sixty Naxalites, including Politburo member Mojulla alias Bhupati alias Sonu Dada, gave up arms. Bhupati is a senior-cadre Naxalite and is most-wanted across five states: Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra. He carried a combined reward of approximately ₹1 crore to ₹1.5 crore on his head.
This large-scale surrender follows a similar event 20 days ago in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district. Inspired by the ‘Lon Varratu‘ (Return to Home) campaign, 71 Naxalites had surrendered, including 21 women and 50 men. Rewards totalling ₹64 lakh were announced for 30 of those who surrendered, who included Division Committee Member (DVCM) and Area Committee Member (ACM) rank cadres. Several of them were involved in major past encounters.
Two Central Committee members killed
Just 22 days prior to this, on 23 September, security forces in Narayanpur district killed two Maoist leaders of the Central Committee (CC), Raju Dada and Kosa Dada. Each carried a reward of ₹1.8 crore.
The two Naxalites were involved in multiple attacks, including the killing of 27 CRPF jawans in Maharbeda, the martyrdom of 4 jawans in the Bukinatore blast, and the killing of 22 jawans each in the Jonagudem and Tekalguda encounters. A total of 27 serious cases were registered against them, including 16 in Chhattisgarh, four in Telangana, five in Maharashtra, and two in Andhra Pradesh.
Over 400 Naxalites killed in 18 months
It has been observed that Naxalites who migrated to Bastar from Telangana armed the local tribal youth and used them as a protective shield. Naxalites from the Bastar region now face the police forces on the front line and are being killed, while the Telugu-cadre Naxalites reportedly manage to escape.
The long-standing assertion that Bastar’s Naxalites are being used as a shield appears to hold true. The number of young, active ACM or DVCM cadres from the Telangana region fighting on the front line has reportedly dwindled significantly.
Focus on eliminating Hidma
Madvi Hidma is deeply familiar with the terrain of Bastar’s jal-jangal-zameen (water, forest, and land) and has been most instrumental in the expansion and entrenchment of Naxalism in the area. Law enforcement officials believe that his arrest or elimination would significantly ease the process of wiping out Naxalism from the Bastar region. Hidma is on the police’s most-wanted list and is considered a key figure in arming tribal youth and sustaining the Maoist organisation in Bastar.
Shah’s 2026 deadline
Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Raipur and Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh in August and December 2024. During his visits, he addressed various events and warned Naxalites to surrender their arms, stating that security forces would counter violence. He also issued a deadline to eliminate Naxalism from the entire country by 31 March 2026. Operations against Naxalites have intensified across Bastar since Shah announced this deadline.
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Surrendered Naxal couple marries at police station
A surrendered Naxalite couple, who decided to abandon the path of violence in 2024 and join the police, cemented their decision by getting married. The wedding was held in the Pakhanjur police station complex in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh, on Sunday. The hands that once held weapons were now adorned with mehndi as the couple vowed to join the social mainstream.
