Gadchiroli (Maharashtra): In continuing reverses for the banned CPI (Maoist), eleven senior cadres of the outfit surrendered before Rashmi Shukla, the director general of police (DGP) of in Maharashtra in the state’s Gadchiroli district on Wednesday.
The Naxalites carried a collective reward of Rs 82 lakh, PTI reported.
Four of the Maoists were in ‘uniform’ when they laid down their arms before the DGP, the police said.
Those who surrendered on Wednesday included divisional committee members Ramesh Lekami (57), a resident of Gadchiroli, and Bhima Kowasi (35), and platform party committee members Poriye Gota (41), Ratan Oyam (32) and Kamal Veladi (30), all from Chhattisgarh.
The others who laid down their arms are area committee members Poriye Veladi (36), Ramaji Pungati (35), and platoon members Sonu Kato (19), Prakash Pungati (22), Sita Pallo (22) and Sainath Made (23).
This surrender is being seen as a major success in the state’s fight against Left Wing Extremism. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has set March 31, 2026, as the target date for the elimination of Naxalite-related violence in India.
Security forces are carrying out all-out strikes against the Maoists across all affected states. Hundreds of Naxalites, including top leaders, have been killed over the last one year and many have surrendered.
This decision to surrender is driven by realisation of the futility of fighting against the state in a war that can never be won, and an attraction towards the surrender-cum-rehabilitation policies implemented by Maoist-affected states over the last two years.
A statement said that concerted efforts by the Gadchiroli Police and the Central Reserve Police Force led to the surrender of 112 Maoist cadres in the district this year.
The central and Maharashtra governments have announced a total reward of Rs 10 lakh as collective assistance for a group of Maoists who surrender. There are other benefits as well.
“Due to the intensified anti-Maoist operations conducted by the Gadchiroli police and the opportunity provided by the government for Maoists to surrender and lead a respectable life, 146 hardcore Naxalites have laid down their arms in the district since 2022, including 112 this year,” the statement said.
