77 Naxals including 42 women cadres lay down arms in Chhattisgarh

Kanker/Sukma (Chhattisgarh): In a major blow to the Naxal network, as many as 77 Maoists, including 42 women cadres and at least two members of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma and Kanker districts on Wednesday, officials said.

This development follows Tuesday's mass surrender by senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi and 60 other cadres in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district.

In Sukma district, 27 Naxalites, including ten women, laid down their arms. Among them, 16 Naxalites were carrying a collective bounty of Rs 50 lakh, officials said.

In Kanker district, 50 Naxalites, including two members of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of Maoists and 32 female cadres, turned themselves in at a Border Security Force (BSF) camp.

Kanker is the adjoining district of Gadchiroli.

A group of Maoist cadres led by Rajman Mandavi and Raju Salam, both members of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of Maoists, reached the Kamtera camp of BSF's 40th battalion under Koylaibeda police station limits in Kanker, an official said.

They also surrendered 39 weapons, including seven AK-47 rifles, two Self-Loading Rifles, and four INSAS rifles, an INSAS LMG (light machine gun), and a Sten gun, he said.

The surrenders cadres include five members of the divisional committee- Prasad Tadami, Heeralal Komra, Jugnu Kowachi, Narsingh Netam, and Nande (wife of Rajman Mandavi). The others include 21 area committee members and 21 party members, he said.

The Naxals who surrendered in Sukma include Oyam Lakhmu (53), a member of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion no.1, which was considered the strongest military formation of Maoists. He carried a reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, the official said.

Three others -- Madvi Bhima (18), a party member in a military platoon unit of PLGA battalion no.1, Sunita alias Kawasi Somdi (24), and Sodi Mase (22), members of regional military company no. 2 -- carried a bounty of Rs 8 lakh each, he said.

Besides, a cadre carried a reward of Rs 3 lakh, two cadres had a bounty of Rs 2 lakh each, and nine cadres of Rs 1 lakh each, he said.

In a post on 'X', Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said, "Naxalism, which challenged the country's internal security, is now collapsing on every front and is going through its final stage.

The surrender of 60 Naxalites, including the notorious Maoist politburo member Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu, in Gadchiroli is a decisive blow to the Naxalite ideology, he stated.

"Our valiant security forces are fighting this battle day and night with indomitable courage and are achieving success," he noted.

Sai said he has full faith that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the leadership of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the resolve to achieve a Naxal-free India by March 31, 2026, will surely be fulfilled.