Bijapur/Sukma (Chhattisgarh): As many as 51 Naxalites, carrying a collective bounty of Rs 1.61 crore, surrendered sooner than the police in two districts below the Bastar division on Saturday, a senior officer talked about.
With the March 31, 2026, lower-off date to fetch rid of Naxalism closing in, the series of surrenders across Chhattisgarh to this point this yr now stands at round 300.
The renounce coincided with the inauguration of the Bastar Pandum 2026 competition in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district, by President Droupadi Murmu and Union Dwelling Minister Amit Shah’s arrival in Raipur on a 3-day discuss with.
The surrendered cadres consist of 34 females.
Inspector Basic of Police, Bastar Vary, Sundarraj Pattilingam talked about 30 cadres, including 20 females, surrendered in Bijapur district, whereas 21 others, including 14 feminine participants, joined the mainstream in neighbouring Sukma district below the “Poona Margem rehabilitation initiative of Bastar Police.
The ultras said they were impressed by the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, he said.
In Bijpaur, the cadres belonging to the south sub-zonal bureau of Maoists shunned violence and joined the mainstream before senior police and CRPF officials, the IGP said.
Among the 30 cadres, Boti Podiyam alias Malla (23), a platoon party committee member, and Sukhram Madkam (24), and Reena Punem (25), both party members of different companies of Maoists, carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each, he said.
Five others carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, 14 Naxalites carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh each, and eight others a reward of Rs 1 lakh each. The 30 cadres carried a collective reward of Rs 85 lakh, he added.
In Sukma, 21 cadres of the Darbha division, south Bastar division, and Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division (Odisha) of Maoists turned themselves in before senior police and CRPF officers.
Among them, Sodhi Mahesh (35), Podiyam Raju (30), and Karam Mamta (30)- all divisional committee members- carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each on their heads.
Five other cadres carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, 12 others Rs 2 lakh each and one Rs 3 lakh, the police officer said.
The ultras in Sukma laid down arms, including three AK-47 rifles with 8 magazines, two Self Loading Rifles with two magazines, one Insas rifle, five single-shot guns, three Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs) with 20 rounds, ten gelatin sticks and 20 non-electric detonators, he said.
“The fulfillment turned into the ruin outcomes of the sigh authorities’s comprehensive anti-Naxal protection, sustained and efficient movement by safety forces, and coordinated efforts essentially essentially based on peace, dialogue and trend, clearly indicating that abandoning the route of violence and deciding on a dignified and stable life is presumably the most easy lasting solution,” Sundarraj added.
The surrendered Naxalites were provided with immediate assistance of Rs 50,000 each and will be further rehabilitated as per the government’s policy.
Sundarraj further said the base of Maoists has been shrinking rapidly due to the establishment of security camps in remote and inaccessible areas, improved road connectivity, continuous successful anti-Naxal operations, and the effective reach of the government’s development schemes.
He appealed to the remaining Maoist cadres to surrender, saying, a path of violence leads only to destruction, suffering, and darkness. He said the ‘Poona Margem’ campaign paves the way for peace, a dignified life, and a positive future.
Notably, 52 Naxalsts had turned themselves in on January 15 in neighbouring Bijapur district. More than 1,500 Naxalites had surrendered in 2025 in Chhattisgarh.
Reacting to the surrenders in Sukma and Bijapur, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the development marked another significant step towards ensuring peace, trust and development in the Bastar region.
It was a concrete outcome of the government’s sustained efforts to restore peace, coupled with the expansion of roads, education, healthcare, communication and basic amenities in remote and sensitive areas over the past two years, he said.
Sai said the state’s good governance policy focuses on security along with trust, rehabilitation, and future opportunities. All necessary support will be provided for the rehabilitation, skill development and self-reliance of the surrendered youths.
Bastar was rapidly moving from fear and violence towards trust, development and new opportunities, he added.
