Sixty-two "hardcore Naxals" surrendered before security forces in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, police in the poll-bound state said, a development Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh described as a "huge achievement".
Of the 62 Naxals, 55 surrendered with their arms and ammunition in Narayanpur district, Inspector General of Police (Bastar) Vivekanand Sinha told PTI.
This came a week after two policemen and a cameraperson of Doordarshan were killed and two others were injured in a Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district.
The home minister said the success of the government's surrender policy was pushing Naxal cadres to shun the path of violence.
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"...I congratulate the State Chief Minister @drramansingh the DGP and the police force for this huge achievement," he tweeted soon after the surrender.
Polling for the 90-seat Chhattisgarh Assembly is scheduled to be held in two phases - on November 12 for 18 seats and on November 20 for 72 constituencies.
Most of the constituencies in the first phase fall in the state's Bastar region.
Recently, four CRPF personnel were killed in an attack carried out by Maoists, using improvised explosive devices, in the state's Bijapur district.
A BJP leader and member of Dantewada Zila Panchayat Nandlal Mudiyami was seriously injured after ultras attacked him with sharp edged weapons at his village Palnar in
Dantwada.
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The state is going to polls in November and Maoists have asked voters to boycott the exercise.
The first phase of polls covering 18 constituencies of eight Maoist-affected districts Bastar, Kanker Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon will be held
on November 12.
The remaining 72 constituencies will witness polling on November 20. The counting of votes will take place on December 11.
(With inputs from PTI)
