The cadres expressed disillusionment with Maoist ideology, condemned atrocities against tribal communities, and were influenced by government development and rehabilitation schemes such as ‘Niyad Nellanar’.
Police officials hailed the surrender as evidence of waning Maoist influence in Bastar, with all cadres receiving ₹50,000 in assistance and assurances of protection and rehabilitation.
A total of 27 Naxalites, including 16 carrying a combined bounty of ₹50 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on Wednesday, a senior police officer said.
The development comes just a day after senior Naxalite leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Bhupathi, along with 60 other cadres, laid down arms in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district. They cited disillusionment with the “hollow” Maoist ideology, atrocities committed by Naxalites against innocent tribal communities, and the growing influence of security forces, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has recently reaffirmed the government’s determination to eradicate Naxalism, still concentrated largely in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region, by March 31, 2026.
Among the 27 Naxalites who surrendered in Sukma on Wednesday were 10 women. They presented themselves before senior police officials and personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
According to SP Chavan, the cadres were also motivated by the Chhattisgarh government’s ‘Niyad Nellanar’ (“Your Good Village”) scheme, which aims to promote development in remote tribal areas, as well as the state’s revised surrender and rehabilitation policy.
Of those who surrendered, Oyam Lakhmu (53), a member of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, considered the Maoists’ most powerful armed unit, carried a bounty of ₹10 lakh.
Three others, Madvi Bhima (18), a party member in a military platoon of PLGA Battalion No. 1, Sunita alias Kawasi Somdi (24), and Sodi Mase (22), both members of Regional Military Company No. 2, each carried a reward of ₹8 lakh.
In addition, one cadre carried a bounty of ₹3 lakh, two others ₹2 lakh each, and nine cadres ₹1 lakh each, the official confirmed.
All surrendered Naxalites were given immediate assistance of ₹50,000 each and will be further rehabilitated under the government’s policy, he added.
SP Chavan appealed to all individuals associated with the banned Maoist organisation to renounce violence, assuring them of safety and a dignified life upon surrender.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, described the mass surrender as clear evidence that “the winds of change are blowing across Bastar.”
With PTI inputs
