Chhattisgarh: Woman Maoist cadre carrying a reward surrenders in Dantewada as “Lone Varatu” figures rises to 676

In yet another surrender of a female Maoist, a woman cadre of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh surrendered before the Chhattisgarh police on Wednesday, February 28.

The surrender took place under the flagship “Lone Varatu” (an appeal of homecoming in the local Gondi dialect) campaign, an initiative being jointly undertaken by the police and the administration in Maoist infested Dantewada district of Bastar division of Chhattisgarh.

The surrendered cadre has been identified as Gangi Muchaki (33), who turned herself before the authorities and surrendered, citing disappointment with the insurgent’s ideology. Muchaki was said to be the president of Krantikari Mahila Adivasi Sangathan (KAMS), an offshoot of the outlaws in Pusanna Panchayat under the Katekalyan Area Committee of the extremists.

Muchaki was reported to be involved in various Maoist related activities, including obstructing roadways during the Maoist calls of shutdown. According to the details, the surrender occurred under the Lone Varatu scheme, under which a total of 672 former cadres of the banned outfit have parted ways with the Maoist organisation and are being rehabilitated under the State government surrender and rehabilitation policy.

The list includes a total of 172 Maoist cadres who were carrying a reward at the time of surrender. Notably, the surrender of Muchaki took place days after a company commander of company no 02 of battalion no 01 of Peoples Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) had also surrendered before the Sukma police.

The surrendered cadre was identified as Nagesh who was carrying a bounty of Rs8 lakh on his head. Nagesh had surrendered under the Poorna Narkom campaign, another initiative alike Lone Varatu being run by the police and the administration in South Bastar to attract local youths to return to the mainstream.

It is worth mentioning here that, of late, the security forces have amplified search operations in the insurgency prone areas of the State leading to uncovering of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Maoist dump, and camps of the extremists. The continuous operation launched by the forces have also excreted pressure on the Maoist cadres to surrender before the forces.

Notably, the security forces in a similar operation launched between the Chinnaguler and Gundem areas of Bijapur district have unearthed and destroyed tiffin bombs and directional IEDs near Toyanaala on February 28.

The said operation was launched a day after a joint team of security forces had neutralised as many as four male Maoists in a gunfight that occurred near the Chote Tungali area under the Jangala police station limits of the Bijapur district on February 27.