Bijapur: Eight members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Wednesday, the police said.
The eight, who collectively carried a reward of Rs 49 lakh, were active in Jharkhand, PTI reported.
This is the first major group surrender of Maoists in Chhattisgarh after the government declared the state free of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) on March 31 this year.
There were five women among the surrendered Maoists. They turned themselves in before senior officials of the police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Bijapur SP Umesh Prasad Gupta said.
According to him, the cadres were influenced by the Chhattisgarh government’s Naxalite Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy and similar initiatives being implemented in Bijapur.
The rebels also cited the growing influence of security forces, the weakening organisational structure of the outlawed outfit, disillusionment with its violent and anti-people ideology, successful rehabilitation of former Maoists and rapid development in tribal areas as reasons for giving up the path of violence and joining the mainstream, Gupta said.
They were associated with the CPI (Maoist) for several years and were active in different areas of neighbouring Jharkhand, he said.
Ashwin alias Lachhu (30), Ranga alias Sohan (30) and Doba Madvi alias Rahat (25) were among those who surrendered. They were active as divisional committee members and carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each.
Phagni Poyam alias Rajni (28), Suraj Munni Champiya (25), Hidme Kadti alias Rita (27) and Budhri Kunjam alias Anusha (25) were area committee members, carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh each, while Salmi Champiya alias Jilani (20), was a party member, with a reward of Rs 5 lakh, Gupta said.
The surrendered Maoists are residents of Bijapur, Narayanpur and Sukma districts, the SP added.
To help them lead a dignified life in the mainstream, the eight will be provided financial assistance, skill development training, housing, education and employment-related benefits under the state’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, he said.
Close coordination between the Jharkhand and Bijapur police forces, and CRPF, along with sustained confidence-building measures, played a key role in facilitating the surrender, the SP added.
The surrenders came a day after the arrest of CPI (Maoist) politburo member Misir Besra from Jharkhand on Tuesday. He carried a bounty of over Rs 2.2 crore on his head and was wanted in 175 cases.
