9 Naxalites including 6 women surrender in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district

As many as nine Naxalites carrying a collective reward of Rs 26 lakh on their heads, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Wednesday, police said.

The surrendered Naxalites included six women, said Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan. They turned themselves in before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials, citing disappointment with the “hollow and inhuman” Maoist ideology and growing differences within the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), he added.

Naxalites are on the backfoot with increasing pressure of the security forces and the establishment of police camps in interior areas, the SP said. The surrendered Naxalites were also impressed by the ‘Niyad Nellanar (your good village)’ scheme of the state government, aimed at facilitating development in remote villages, Chavan said.

Among those who surrendered, Bandu alias Bandi Madkam (22), a member of the Maoists’ People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) Company No. 2, carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head. ‘Area committee members’ Mase alias Vetti Kanni (45) and Padam Sammi (32) had Rs 5 lakh reward each, while one woman and three male cadres carried a bounty of Rs 2 lakh each.

Bandu was allegedly involved in various Naxal attacks, including the 2020 Minpa ambush in Sukma, which resulted in the deaths of 17 security personnel. The other surrendered cadres were also involved in multiple attacks on security forces, the SP said.

Personnel from Chintalnar police station, the District Reserve Guard, the Intelligence Branch, the CRPF, and its elite CoBRA unit played a crucial role in facilitating the surrender, the official said.

The surrendered Naxalites were provided financial assistance of Rs 25,000 each and will be rehabilitated under the government’s policy.

In 2024, a total of 792 Naxalites surrendered in the Bastar region, which comprises seven districts, including Sukma.