Fifteen Maoists carrying a collective reward of Rs 48 lakh surrendered before security forces in Sukma on November 24. The group includes four hardcore Maoist operatives long active in high-risk combat zones and five women cadres, marking yet another major crack in the insurgency’s organisational structure across Bastar.
The surrender took place in the presence of Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan, who confirmed that the cadres chose to abandon the Maoist movement due to growing disillusionment, internal distrust, and the relentless pressure of intensified security operations in South Chhattisgarh. According to police, many of them had spent years living under constant fear, scarcity, and coercion within the Maoist hierarchy.
Officials revealed that together the fifteen carried a bounty of Rs 4.8 million. While the four hardcore operatives were wanted for serious violence, the others were lower-level cadres who nevertheless played key roles in logistics, surveillance, and mobilisation. The inclusion of five women highlights the deep penetration of Maoist influence into families and tribal communities and the shifting sentiment now pulling them out.
Security forces have taken them in under the state’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, which offers deradicalisation counselling, job training, financial assistance, and reintegration support. Police say the move is a “significant morale victory” as large-scale surrenders have become increasingly common across the Bastar division, signalling a steady decline in Maoist capacity.
SP Chavan emphasised that the latest surrender is direct evidence of the deteriorating grip of Maoists in the region. “Operations are at their peak, public sympathy is shrinking, and internal distrust is rising. Bastar is witnessing tangible improvement as Naxalite influence continues to weaken,” he said.
