The surrender of 71 Naxalites in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada on Wednesday marks another major success for the state’s ongoing counter-insurgency and rehabilitation initiatives. Of the surrendered cadres, 30 carried a combined bounty of ₹64 lakh, reflecting the level of operational significance of many among them. The group also included 21 women, as well as minors, highlighting the widespread impact of Naxal recruitment in the region.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed the mass surrender as proof that the “darkness of Naxalism is fading” and reiterated his government’s goal of eliminating the insurgency by March 31, 2026. He linked the development to the double-engine BJP government’s blend of security pressure and welfare schemes.

The CM underlined the impact of recent state initiatives, including the 2025 Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy and the Niyad Nella Nar scheme, which are credited with instilling new confidence in Bastar and Dantewada.

Two local campaigns—‘Lon Varratu’ (meaning “return to your village” in Gondi) and ‘Poona Margem’—played a decisive role in motivating Maoist cadres to surrender. These community-driven outreach programs, backed by the Bastar police, focus on bringing families and villages together to reclaim those misled by Maoist ideology. Since the launch of Lon Varratu in June 2020, a total of 1,113 Naxalites, including 297 with bounties, have laid down arms in Dantewada alone.

Among the surrendered were prominent figures such as Baman Madkam and Manki alias Samila Mandavi, each carrying an Rs 8 lakh bounty. Others, like Shamila alias Somli Kawasi, Gangi alias Rohni Barse, and Deve alias Kavita Madvi, each carried Rs 5 lakh rewards and were accused of participating in armed assaults on security forces. Several others were employed in lower-rung tasks like digging roads, felling trees, or distributing propaganda material, but nonetheless played roles in sustaining Maoist influence at the village level.

One of the surrendering cadres, Shamila, revealed that she had been active since 2009 and even served as a Janmilitia commander under the Maoists. She described how internal restrictions, pressure from security forces, and disappointment with Maoist leadership compelled her to leave the outfit. Shamila also appealed to her husband, a Maoist commander still active in Bastar, to abandon violence and join her in building a new life. Her story highlights the deep personal costs borne by women combatants, who face restrictions on family life under the Maoist system.

The surrendered individuals were each provided with ₹50,000 assistance checks as part of immediate relief measures and will be entitled to further support under the government’s rehabilitation framework. Authorities emphasized that integration into mainstream society remains a priority, with specialized schemes aimed at providing housing, education, and employment opportunities to former insurgents. The rehabilitation push underlines the dual strategy of hard security operations combined with socio-economic outreach.

This wave of surrender comes against the backdrop of heightened security pressure, including the recent killing of two central committee Maoist leaders, Raju Dada and Kosa Dada, in Narayanpur district. Both men carried bounties of ₹1.80 crore each and were instrumental in overseeing military and organizational operations of the outlawed CPI (Maoist). Their deaths dealt a major blow to the Maoist command structure, increasing disarray within the outfit.

According to official figures, more than 1,770 Maoists have surrendered in Chhattisgarh so far, reflecting the declining influence of Maoist ideology in the region. The state government views this as evidence of growing public trust in democratic governance and developmental programs. By combining aggressive counter-insurgency measures with inclusive rehabilitation, Chhattisgarh aims to dismantle the Maoist ecosystem while simultaneously building an environment conducive to peace and progress in Bastar and its adjoining areas.

Based On PTI Report