In a major success for security forces, as many as five communist terrorists, including a sub-zonal commander of the proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist), surrendered before the security officials in two separate developments on the Maoist front in the last 48 hours.
In the first incident, a self-styled sub-zonal commander of the outlawed CPI Maoist surrendered before the authorities in the Gumla district of Jharkhand on July 18. The development occurred when Khudi Munda, a resident of Batkuri village of Gumla, turned himself in before the authorities and surrendered. Khudi Munda was active in the Maoist organisations over two decades and was currently working as a sub-zonal commander in the banned Maoist outfit.
It’s been reported that as many as 44 cases have been pending against Munda in different police stations of Simdega, Latehar, Gumla, Lohardaga and adjoining regions. Munda is also allegedly a prime accused in the Maoist attack on the Chainpur police station in which as many as four policemen were martyred.
Munda was also involved in attacks on security personnel during counter-insurgency operations launched in 2022, for which a reward of Rs five lakh was already announced on him. He was also wanted by the National Investigative Agency (NIA), and a reward of Rs one lakh has already been announced on him by the central agency.
It is to be noted that the counter-insurgency drive against the Ultras has been in full swing in Jharkhand lately, as several senior Maoist commanders have either been killed, arrested or surrendered under pressure.
Earlier, in a specific operation launched in the Semla Bartoli Kona forest area under Chainpur police station of Jharkhand, another seasoned Maoist and self-styled area commander Lazim Ansari was also neutralised following an exchange of fire in June this year. Lazim Ansari was considered close to Munda.
Maoist couples carrying a collective reward of Rs 20 lakhs surrender in Dantewada.
In other similar news from Chhattisgarh, as many as four active cadres of the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) armed wing of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) have surrendered before the security forces in insurgency-hit Dantewada in Chhattisgarh on July 17.
The surrendered Maoist has been identified as the technical team commander of battalion no 01 Chotu Mandavi (25), his wife Lakhme Kunjam (18), Deputy commander of military platoon no 31 Masa Mandavi alias Kosa and his wife Ayate Midiyami (member of a Local Operational Squad).
As per the reports, the surrendered Maoist had been active in the banned outfit since long and were part of several deadly attacks on the security forces resulting in the killing of over 80 security personnel this, including a deadly assault unleashed by the Maoist in Chintagufa (2020) and Rani Bodli camp (2007).
It’s been learnt that one of the surrendered men, Chotu, was carrying an AK-47 assault rifle while Kosa had a SLR in his possession, both of the surrendered men were carrying a whopping bounty of Rs 8 lakhs each while all of the surrendered Maoist was carrying a collective cash reward of Rs 20 lakhs on their heads.
The surrender took place under the flagship ‘Lone Varatu’ campaign (an appeal to come back home in Gondi), being run by the district police since 2020 in which more than 600 ex-Maoist have surrendered and joined the mainstream so far. The list includes of around 157 extremists who were carrying a bounty.
It’s been reported that the surrendered Maoist were inspired by the Lone Varatu campaign and wanted to live a life of dignity; they also informed that the growing presence of the security forces and opening of new Forward Operating Bases (FOB) in remote areas had done a immense damage to the banned outfit where cadres are in a hurry to defect.
Let us tell you that opening of security pickets along with development works in the Maoist-affected regions of the State is in full swing after the incumbent Union Government vowed to eradicate Left Wing Extremism before the next general election scheduled to be held in 2024.
The combined strategy of development and establishment of FOBs in these remote areas have turned out to be immensely successful in forcing the banned outfit to retreat from their traditional thresholds in Bastar. As a result, the local cadres of the Maoist organisations who are not willing to relocate for the sake of the so-called revolution are leaving the outfit in large numbers.
If we talk about the Bastar region alone (one of the worst Maoist-affected regions of the country), a total of around 478 active cadres of the banned Maoist outfit had laid their weapons before the forces in the year 2022 alone, while around 30 left-wing extremists were also killed in different encounters in the same period.
So far, more than two dozen active cadres of the outlawed outfit have also surrendered before the forces under Lone Varatu in 2023 alone. This includes the surrender of a female Maoist commander Rame in March of this year. Frustrated with these developments occurring rapidly, the Maoist organisation has turned their guns towards the innocent local tribal population lately, killing dozens of them in cold blood after branding them as informers.
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