Mahasamund (Chhattisgarh), Mar 1 (PTI) Fifteen Naxalites, including veteran ultra Vikas, carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 73 lakh on their heads surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district on Sunday, resulting in the outlawed movement getting dismantled in the Raipur-Sambalpur belt straddling the state’s border with Odisha, police officials said.
The surrendered persons, including nine women, belonged to Balangir-Bargarh-Mahasamund (BBM) division of the Communist Party of India (Maoists) active along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, they added.
They laid down arms at the Mahasamund district headquarters here in the presence of Chhattisgarh Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Vivekanand Sinha, Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Sambalpur (Odisha), Himanshu Lal, IGP (Rural Zone, Raipur) Amresh Mishra, among others, officials said.
With the surrender of these 15, the western sub-zone of the Odisha State Committee of Maoists has been completely dismantled, ADGP Sinha said at a press conference. The Odisha State Committee and the BBM division were formed after 2010.
“Until a year ago, the sub-zone comprised two divisions and seven area committees. Now, the Raipur Police Range in Chhattisgarh and the Sambalpur Range in Odisha have become fully free of Naxal influence. This is a significant event towards the complete elimination of Naxalism by March 2026,” Sinha said.
Police officials said continuous appeals were made to members of the BBM divisional committee active in Mahasamund’s border areas through various communication channels, including Akashvani broadcasts, banners, posters and pamphlets.
The state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, which offers financial incentives based on rank, additional rewards for surrendering with weapons, healthcare benefits, housing and employment support, was widely publicised as well to get the ultras back into the mainstream, they said.
These cadres decided to give up violence after becoming disillusioned with the hollow Maoist ideology, hardships of life in forests, and prolonged separation from their families, the officials said. They were also influenced by former Maoists who had surrendered earlier and were now leading stable lives under the rehabilitation scheme, police said.
Among those who surrendered, Vikas (57), also known as Sudarshan, Jangu, Babanna, Rajanna and Muppidi Sambaiah (57), is a native of Warangal district in Telangana, and was active in the outlawed movement since 1985, Sinha said.
He was part of the Telangana State Zonal Committee, had served for 10 years as secretary of the southern sub-zone of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) in Chhattisgarh, and was in charge of the Gadchiroli division (in Maharashtra) for two years, the official said.
“Vikas was among those who helped establish the Odisha State Committee and carried a reward of Rs 25 lakh. Two other divisional committee members, Mangesh and Babu, carried rewards of Rs 8 lakh each. Five area committee members carried rewards of Rs 5 lakh each, while seven party members had bounties of Rs 1 lakh each,” the ADGP told reporters.
Six of the surrendered cadres -Neela, Sonu, Reena, Dinesh, Deepna and Ranila – had earlier served as guards to central committee member Jairam alias Chalapati, who was killed in an encounter in January last year in Gariaband district of Chhattisgarh.
After his death, the six were transferred to the BBM division under Vikas, Sinha said.
The surrendered Naxalites handed over 14 weapons, comprising three AK-47 rifles, two SLR rifles, two INSAS rifles, four .303 rifles and three 12-bore guns, the official said.
Police urged remaining Naxalites in Bastar as well as those in the eastern sub-zone in Odisha to lay down arms and join the mainstream by embracing the Constitution and the Tricolour.
Talking to reporters in Raipur, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who holds the Home portfolio, termed the development as a significant step under the state government’s rehabilitation policy.
“Today’s rehabilitation is very important. Fifteen Naxalites from the BBM division have surrendered. Only 15 members were left in this division, and all of them have now laid down arms,” he said.
Officials said the group had established contact with security forces on Wednesday night, prior to formally surrendering.
According to officials, in the last two years, 532 Maoists were neutralised, more than 2,700 have surrendered, and over 2,000 were arrested in Chhattisgarh.
The relentless march of security forces against the ultras in Chhattisgarh and some other states is part of the Centre’s resolve to eliminate Left Wing Extremism (LWE) from the country by March 31 this year, officials asserted. PTI
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