Raipur: In a notable development, as many as 34 Maoists including 7 female members have laid down weapons in Chhattisgarh Maoist-hit Bijapur district, officials said on December 16. The surrendered Naxals were active along the bordering regions of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Odisha.
The surrender took place before the senior officials of the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) under the Puna Margem (From rehabilitation to rebirth) initiative.
A total of 26 among the surrendered group were carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 84 lakhs as announced by the government. This include 5 Maoists who were carrying a bounty of Rs 8 lakh each. They were all members of Dandkaranya Special Zonal Committee, Telangana State Committee and Andhra-Odisha Border Division of the outlawed CPI (Maoist).
Those who have joined the mainstream will be provided with financial assistance of Rs 50,000 each as provisioned in the state government Naxal Surrender Cum Victim Rehabilitation Policy. They will be also provided other benefits and training for skill development, informed officials.
More than 800 former Maoists have laid down arms before authorities in Bijapur district in the past 24 months, marking a major success for security forces in one among the three severely Maoist-affected district in the country.
Reacting to the development, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai in a post wrote “Puna Margem: From rehabilitation to rebirth, a decisive step towards peace in Bastar.”
“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and according to the firm resolve of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the state government is making solid and humanitarian efforts towards making a Naxal-free Chhattisgarh,” he said.
Lauding the Puna Margem initiative, the CM said “The policy has proven that dialogue, sensitivity and development are more effective solutions than violence. This surrender is not only a decision of leaving arms but also to return towards living a dignified and fearless life.”
https://twitter.com/i/status/2000920832097554869
CM Sai stressed that the government is committed to provide a new future for each individual returning through the medium of rehabilitation, employment, security and social re-integration. He also made an appeal to youths to shun the path of violence and walk shoulder to shoulder with democracy and development, adding that the government’s resolve is to make Chhattisgarh, a state of peace, belief and bright future.
Notably, more than 2250 Maoists have returned to the mainstream in Chhattisgarh in past two years, marking a major shift in the Maoist-affected state. The Union Government has announced to eliminate red terror menace from Bharat by March next year.
