RAIPUR: As the campaign against Maoists picked up pace in Chhattisgarh, former members of the unlawful group continue to lay down arms before the police in the state. In the latest development, as many as 11 lower rung cadres of the proscribed CPI (Maoist) have surrendered before police in Narayanpur district on December 17.
The surrender occurred at the district headquarters in Narayanpur before a senior official of the police, where 11 Maoists, including 5 female Naxals, laid down arms citing frustration with the Maoists’ ideology.
According to the police, three among the surrendered Naxals, identified as Somari Mandavi, Namesh Mandavi and Boda Vadde alias Bhima, were carrying a bounty of Rs 8 lakh each on their heads. They were all members of the North Bastar Division Committee of the Maoist outfit.
The others who surrendered on Wednesday included Siyaram Salaam, an area committee member carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh, and Mira Mandavi, a PPCM against whom a bounty of Rs 2 lakh was announced by the government. The remaining group members were each carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh.
The surrendered Maoists were all involved in carrying out various unlawful activities on behalf of the banned Maoist group. They will be rehabilitated and given the benefits of the state government rehabilitation policy.
With the surrender of 11 Naxals on Wednesday, the number of Maoists joining the mainstream in Narayanpur district has reached to 298 in 2025, informed Narayanpur Superintendent of Police (SP) Robinson Gudiya.
This symbolises that the processes of peace, development, and belief are gaining momentum in the region, he added, while appealing to Maoists to lay down their arms and join mainstream society.
FIR over posting YouTube video glorifying notorious Maoist Madvi Hidma
In a related development, an FIR has been lodged for uploading a video on YouTube that reportedly glorified Madvi Hidma, a notorious Maoist commander who was gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Andhra Pradesh in November.
According to media reports, the said video was uploaded on a YouTube channel and featured anti-national content. The video reportedly presented Hidma as a martyr and had objectionable comments against security forces and the government’s policy.
The video was found during social media monitoring done by the police, after which an FIR under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was registered at the Civil Lines police station, Raipur. The video was reportedly uploaded on Kala Tv YouTube channel. The police are trying to trace the identity of the channel operator.
Officials hinted that the video was posted with an aim to incite youths and mislead those Maoists who are laying down arms and joining the mainstream. They added that strict monitoring will continue against such anti-national content on social media.
