Bhubaneswar: In a major victory against left wing extremism (LWE) in Odisha, 19 Maoists, including a rebel couple carrying a reward of Rs 55.10 lakh, surrendered before the police on Friday.
The couple has been identified as CPI (Maoist)’s state committee members Niranjan Raut (45) alias Nikhil, and his 42-year-old wife Rashmira Lenka, also known as Indu, Director General of Police Y B Khurania said.
Raut and his wife had earlier written a letter to the state government expressing their willingness to surrender. Both are state committee members, the second highest rung in the CPI (Maoist) hierarchy after the central committee (CC).
Sharing details about the surrender of Maoists, the DGP told reporters in Bhubaneswar that Rsut, Lenka and 13 others surrendered before the Superintendent of Police of Rayagada, while four other members of the banned outfit renounced violence in Kandhamal district.
The DGP said that the surrendered Maoist also laid down some arms and ammunition before the police. Among the arms laid down by the surrendered Maoists were two AK-47 rifles. Now, there are only a few Maoists remaining in the state, he said.
Happy over the development, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi described the surrender of so many Maoists as a significant breakthrough. He vowed to wipe out LWE violence in the state by the end of March, this year.
“Today, Odisha has achieved a major breakthrough in the national mission to eliminate Left Wing Extremism and build a Naxal-free India. Wor
king towards the development of Odisha while ensuring the safety and security of every citizen remains the supreme priority of my government.
As a direct outcome of sustained intelligence-driven operations and coordinated action by our security forces, 19 Maoist cadres from the BGN division of Rayagada district and the KKBN division of Kandhamal district have renounced violence and surrendered,” Majhi said in a post on X.
The seizure of 14 sophisticated and lethal weapons, including AK-47 rifles and SLRs, underscores the scale of this operational success, he said.
“The Central Government’s policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism and extremism, coupled with unwavering support to the states, has brought our campaign against Left Wing Extremism to a decisive stage. My government stands resolutely committed to eliminating Maoist violence from Odisha and to achieving the goal of a completely Maoist-free state by 31st March,” the Chief Minister said.
“At the same time, our government remains firmly humane and inclusive. Through a robust Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, those who abandon violence and return to the mainstream are assured institutional support, lawful protection and an opportunity to live with dignity. Violence has no legitimacy and no future. Peace, development and the rule of law alone will shape Odisha’s destiny. I once again call upon all remaining cadres to surrender arms, reject violence and join the path of development as partners in the progress of our state,” he said.
In Rayagada, police seized two AK-47 rifles, 5 Self-Loading Rifles (SLR), 1 Sten gun, 1 INSAS rifle, one .303 rifle and four single-shot guns from the surrendered naxals.
DGP Khurania highlighted that sustained operations in recent days have severely curtailed Maoist activities, leading to arrests, surrenders, and recovery of large quantities of arms, ammunition and explosives.