New Delhi: In another major success for security forces who are in midst of a decisive campaign against Maoists in Central Bharat, over 20 hardcore Maoists turned themselves before officials and surrendered in two separate developments reported from Chhattisgarh’s Bastar and Maharashtra’s Gondia district.
According to details, 10 hardcore Maoists led by notorious Naxal leader Chaitu alias Shyam Dada (63) surrendered before the police in Bastar district on November 28. The surrendered Naxals were carrying a collective bounty of Rs 65 lakhs on their heads.
The surrender took place before senior officials of police and security forces at Jagdalpur of Bastar, where Chaitu along with his associated announced their return to the mainstream, expressing faith in the Bharatiya constitution. His surrender marks another significant blow to the already crumbling organizational structure of the proscribed group in Chhattisgarh.
A seasoned Maoist, Chaitu was considered one of the mastermind of infamous Jhiram Ghati massacre which resulted in killings of several top Congress leaders including Mahendra Karma in 2013.
Chaitu was part of the Maoist’s Dandkaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) and had earlier led the Darbha division of the outlawed group. He reportedly joined the Naxal’s outfit in 1985 and was carrying a bounty of Rs 25 lakhs on his head.
A dozen Maoists lay down weapons in Maharashtra
In a related development, Special Zonal Committee member Anant alias Vikas Nagpure and 11 hardcore Naxalites surrendered before the Gondia Police, marking another significant breakthrough for security forces operating in the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border region.
According to officials, the surrendered cadre collectively carried a reward of Rs 89 lakh as announced by the government.
Police said the group had been active across multiple districts and was involved in several major acts of violence, recruitment drives, and extortion networks. A substantial cache of weapons and materials used in Naxal operations was also seized during the surrender.
Those who laid down arms include DVCM Commander Nagasu Golu Wadde, along with Rano Poreti, Santu Poreti, Sangeeta Pandhare, Pratap Bantula, Anuja Kara, Puja Mudiyam, Dinesh Sotti, Sheela Madavi, and Arjun Dodi. Agencies said this is the first major collective surrender following the death of top Naxal leader Hidma, which had already created a leadership vacuum within the organisation.
Speaking to ANI, Ankit Goyal, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Gadchiroli Range, said that the development highlights the growing success of coordinated policing efforts and outreach programmes encouraging Naxalites to abandon violence.
“About 7-8 days ago, the spokesperson for the Maoist MMC zone, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh, expressed his desire to surrender. In this series, he had written two letters to the Chief Ministers of these three states. Keeping this desire to surrender in mind, we attempted to contact him. Subsequently, he, along with 10 other associates, surrendered. They also surrendered seven weapons… The Maharashtra government had declared a collective bounty of Rs 89 lakh on all these Naxalites… They are all members of the CPI (Maoist)…” DIG said.
Police officials added that the surrendered cadre will be processed under the state’s rehabilitation policy, and further recoveries from their disclosures are expected.
Security forces have amped up campaign against Maoists across Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. A joint team of security forces in an operation neutralised notorious Maoist commander Madvi Hidma on November 18, marking a major breakthrough in the ongoing anti-Maoist campaign.
Notably, forces in separate encounters this year had already gunned down several top leaders of the banned group including its former general secretary Nambala Kesav Rao alias Basavraju. The Union Government has announced to eliminate Maoist-insurgency from Bharat by March next year.
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