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In a significant development reported from the insurgency-hit Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, a senior member of the outlawed CPI Maoist surrendered before the authorities on May 28, according to the police
The surrendered cadre has been identified as Ganesh Punem, deputy commander of the Bhamragarh Local Organisational Squad (LOS) of the proscribed Maoist outfit.
Punem, a resident of Bijapur district of neighbouring Chhattisgarh, joined the Maoist outfit in 2017 and rose to the rank of deputy commander in subsequent years. He was carrying a bounty of Rs 6 lakh on his head.
According to the information received, Punem was reported to be involved in the Mirtur encounter of Bijapur in 2017. He also indulged in other attacks carried out by the outlaws on security forces.
Punem was said to be disappointed with the Maoist outfits for various reasons, which ultimately led him to surrender before the police on Tuesday. The surrender took place before Deputy Inspector General of Police (Operation) Jagdeesh Meena.
It’s been reported that Punem will be provided with the benefits of the surrender and rehabilitation policies of the state and the Union government.
It is worth mentioning here that as many as 14 hardcore Maoists have so far surrendered before the Gadchiroli police, citing disgruntlement with the Maoist outfit in the last two years.
In a similar development reported in October last year, a female Maoist cadre, Rajni alias Kalawati Samayya Veladi, had also surrendered before the police in Gadchiroli.
Veladi joined the Maoist outfit in 2009 and was an integral part of various encounters between the security forces and the Maoists, including the Bhejji encounter in 2017, where as many as 12 security personnel were martyred. She was reported to be on the ACM (Area Committee Member) rank at the time of surrender and was carrying a bounty of Rs 11 lakhs on her head.
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