Seventeen Naxalites, including nine who collectively carried cash rewards amounting to ₹24 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday, according to a senior police official.
The surrendered individuals, which included a couple, turned themselves in before senior officials of the police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
The decision to surrender was driven by their disillusionment with the Maoist ideology, which they described as "hollow" and "inhuman."
They also cited the exploitation of innocent tribals by senior cadres and the growing presence and influence of security forces in the region as factors behind their decision, said Bijapur Senior Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav.
Additionally, they were encouraged by the ‘Niya Nellanar’ (Your Good Village) initiative, a scheme through which security forces and the administration have been working to provide essential amenities and drive development efforts in remote areas.
All 17 surrendered Naxalites were associated with the Gangaloor area committee of the banned Maoist organisation. Among them, Dinesh Modiam, a 36-year-old divisional committee member, was wanted in connection with 26 cases in Bijapur district and carried a bounty of ₹8 lakh.
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His wife, Jyoti Tati, also known as Kala Modiam, and another cadre, Dula Karam, both 32 years old and active as area committee members, each carried a reward of ₹5 lakh. Additionally, six other cadres had a bounty of ₹1 lakh each.
The surrender was made possible through the coordinated efforts of the District Reserve Guard, Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force, CRPF, and its elite CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) unit, according to Yadav.
Following their surrender, each of the Naxalites was provided financial assistance of Rs 25,000 and will be rehabilitated under the government’s policy aimed at reintegrating them into mainstream society.
With this development, the number of Naxalites who have surrendered in Bijapur district this year has risen to 65. In the previous year, a total of 792 Naxalites had laid down arms across the Bastar region, which comprises seven districts, including Bijapur.
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