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 โน2.27 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 โน1.15 crore. Among them is a Special Zonal Committee Member (SZCM) cadre Naxalite โ the first time an SZCM member has surrendered in Bastar.
In Kanker, 13 Naxalites surrendered, with bounties totalling โน62 lakh. In Narayanpur, eight Naxalites surrendered, carrying rewards of โน33 lakh. In Dantewada, 16 Naxalites surrendered, and five of them had a combined bounty of โน17 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
๐ธ Kanker:
Thirteen Naxalites, active in the North Bastar Divisionโs Raoghat, Partapur, and Maad areas, gave up violence.
This group includes:
- 1 Naxalite with โน10 lakh reward โ Manglu alias Rupesh, commander of Military Company Number 1
- 4 with โน8 lakh each
- 3 with โน5 lakh each
- 5 with โน1 lakh each
๐ธ Bijapur:
Twenty-five Naxalites surrendered, including Ramanna Irpa, who had a โน25 lakh reward.
The group also includes:
- 5 Naxalites with โน8 lakh each
- 8 with โน5 lakh each
- 1 with โน2 lakh
- 7 with โน1 lakh each
These include cadres of DVCM, PPCM, and ACM ranks.
๐ธ Narayanpur:
Eight Naxalites, including four women, laid down their arms.
Among them:
- 3 had โน8 lakh bounties
- 1 had โน5 lakh
- 4 had โน1 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.
๐ธ Dantewada:
Sixteen Naxalites surrendered.
- Budhram had an โน8 lakh reward
- 1 with โน5 lakh reward
- 1 with โน2 lakh reward
- 2 with โน1 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.
