Raipur
More than 60 Naxalites surrendered across four districts in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on a single day. Of these, 55 Naxalites had a combined bounty of ₹2.27 crore on their heads. This marks a significant blow to the Naxal movement in the region, official sources said.
In Bijapur district, 25 Naxalites surrendered, with 23 of them carrying rewards worth ₹1.15 crore. Among them is a Special Zonal Committee Member (SZCM) cadre Naxalite — the first time an SZCM member has surrendered in Bastar.
In Kanker, 13 Naxalites surrendered, with bounties totalling ₹62 lakh. In Narayanpur, eight Naxalites surrendered, carrying rewards of ₹33 lakh. In Dantewada, 16 Naxalites surrendered, and five of them had a combined bounty of ₹17 lakh.
The surrendered Naxalites include a Military Company Commander, along with Divisional Committee Members (DVCM), Platoon Party Committee Members (PPCM), and Area Committee Members (ACM) ranks.
District-wise Surrenders
🔸 Kanker:
Thirteen Naxalites, active in the North Bastar Division’s Raoghat, Partapur, and Maad areas, gave up violence.
This group includes:
- 1 Naxalite with ₹10 lakh reward – Manglu alias Rupesh, commander of Military Company Number 1
- 4 with ₹8 lakh each
- 3 with ₹5 lakh each
- 5 with ₹1 lakh each
🔸 Bijapur:
Twenty-five Naxalites surrendered, including Ramanna Irpa, who had a ₹25 lakh reward.
The group also includes:
- 5 Naxalites with ₹8 lakh each
- 8 with ₹5 lakh each
- 1 with ₹2 lakh
- 7 with ₹1 lakh each
These include cadres of DVCM, PPCM, and ACM ranks.
🔸 Narayanpur:
Eight Naxalites, including four women, laid down their arms.
Among them:
- 3 had ₹8 lakh bounties
- 1 had ₹5 lakh
- 4 had ₹1 lakh each
Watti Ganga alias Mukesh, a DVCM cadre and TD team in-charge, also surrendered.
All had been associated with the Maoist organisation for several years.
🔸 Dantewada:
Sixteen Naxalites surrendered.
- Budhram had an ₹8 lakh reward
- 1 with ₹5 lakh reward
- 1 with ₹2 lakh reward
- 2 with ₹1 lakh each
“Poonam Margem” Campaign Pays Off
The police in Bastar division have been running a new campaign called “Poonam Margem”, which translates to “Rehabilitation to Rejuvenation”. This initiative began a few days ago, and its early success is evident in the large-scale surrender of Naxalites with significant bounties.
Bastar Inspector General of Police (IG) Sundarraj P. stated that this is a major setback for the Naxal organisation, with many high-ranking cadres surrendering.
The IG appealed to other Naxalites to abandon violence, return to the mainstream, and benefit from government schemes.
