Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to Chhattisgarh, 50 Maoists, including high-ranking members with bounties totaling ₹68 lakh, surrendered in Bijapur. Lauding this, Union minister Amit Shah asserted the government's firm stance against Maoist viol...
Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to Chhattisgarh, 50 Maoists including several high-ranking members surrendered before security forces in Bijapur on Sunday. Among them were 13 insurgents carrying a cumulative bounty of ₹68 lakh, indicating shrinking left-wing extremism, said officials.
Union home minister Amit Shah lauded Chhattisgarh's efforts in tackling the Maoist insurgency. He said that with each successful operation and rehabilitation initiative, India moves closer to becoming a Maoist-free nation. He reiterated that the government's resolve remains firm, stating that Maoist violence has no place in a democratic society.
According to the Chhattisgarh administration, the surrender, facilitated under the state's Niyad Nellanar policy, signals a growing disenchantment within Maoist ranks as the security forces continue to assert dominance in insurgent strongholds. Officials said the move also reflects the increasing reach of governance and development programmes in previously Maoist-controlled regions, prompting cadres to shun the path of violence.
Among those who laid down arms were senior members of the banned CPI (Maoist), including Ravindra Karam, a member of PLGA Battalion No. 1 with a bounty of ₹8 lakh, and Bhima Oyam, an area committee member of the National Park Area Committee, who had a ₹5 lakh bounty on his head and had been active for more than 25 years.
