Largest Naxal mass surrender in Chhattisgarh, 208 join mainstream

As many as 208 Maoist cadres, including a central committee member, laid down arms before authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur on Friday, making it the largest mass surrender in the history of anti-Naxal operations in the state, officials said.

The 98 men and 110 women cadres, all members of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) carrying a collective reward of Rs 9.18 crore, gave up 153 arms before state Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and other leaders. The weapons include 19 AK-47 rifles, 17 SLR rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, an INSAS LMG, 36 .303 rifles, 11 BGL launchers, four carbines, 41 bore single shotguns and a pistol.

With this, most of North Abujhmad is now relatively free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and only South Bastar remains to be freed from Naxal violence, official sources said.

Officials hailed the surrender as one of the most significant breakthroughs in recent years, saying it underscored the growing success of the government’s Naxal Eradication and Rehabilitation Policy-2025, which combined development, dialogue and trust-building measures to encourage militants to return to the mainstream. The large-scale surrender is expected to accelerate the peace and development efforts in the region and further weaken the Maoist network in the Bastar division, once considered the stronghold of LWE in India.

Among the top Maoist leaders who surrendered were Rupesh, alias Satish, (central committee member); Bhaskar, alias Rajman Mandavi, (DKSZC member); Ranita (DKSZC member); Raju Salam (DKSZC member); Dhannu Vetti, alias Santu (DKSZC member); and Ratan Elam (regional committee member).

Officials said the surrender represented a decisive step towards lasting peace and inclusive development in Bastar and the broader Dandakaranya region, once considered the epicentre of Naxalism.

“Today marks a historic day not only for Bastar but for the entire state and nation. Those who had lived for years under the shadow of violence and fear have renounced arms and embraced the Constitution under the ‘Poona Margem’ — From Rehabilitation to Rejuvenation programme,” the Chhattisgarh CM said in Jagdalpur.

Sai further said the youth who were once trapped in the false ideology of Maoism had now reposed faith in the power of democracy, the ideals of the Constitution, and the sensitive policies of the state government by returning to the social mainstream.

The surrender came within 24 hours of 170 Naxals giving up arms in Chhattisgarh on October 16, with some of them carrying rewards ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 1 crore. On October 14, Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu, (70), a member of the CPI (Maoist)’s Politburo, had surrendered in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli along with 60 other cadres.