A total of 41 Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on Wednesday, officials confirmed, reported PTI. Of them, 32 rebels together carried a bounty of ₹1.19 crore. The group, which included 12 women, appeared before senior police officers and declared their decision to abandon violence. Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav stated that the cadres were influenced by the state government’s revised rehabilitation and surrender policy, as well as the ongoing “Poona Margham” campaign. The surrender marks another significant step in the ongoing efforts to weaken Naxalite networks operating in the region and encourage their transition into mainstream society.
The group consisted of four members from PLGA Battalion No. 1 and several Maoist companies, along with three area committee members and 11 platoon leaders or committee party members. Additionally, two PLGA cadres, four militia platoon commanders, one deputy commander, and six militia members were part of the surrender. The remaining rebels were affiliated with frontal wings of the banned CPI (Maoist). According to officials, 39 of the 41 individuals operated under the South Sub-Zonal Bureau and were also linked to the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee and Telangana state and divisional units of the banned organisation.
Authorities said the surrendered cadres pledged loyalty to the Constitution and expressed their intention to rebuild their lives peacefully within a democratic framework. Each individual received an immediate financial support of ₹50,000 as part of the government’s rehabilitation initiative. Those who surrendered included Pandru Hapka alias Mohan, Bandi Hapka, Lakkhu Korsa, Badru Punem, Sukhram Hemla, Manjula Hemla, Mangali Madvi alias Shanti, Jairam Kadiyam, and Pando Madkam alias Chandni — each carrying an ₹8 lakh reward. Three others carried ₹5 lakh bounties, followed by 12 with ₹2 lakh each and eight with ₹1 lakh.
Superintendent Yadav said the success of the rehabilitation policy has played a key role in persuading Maoist cadres to reconsider their path and return to society. He urged remaining Naxalites to abandon violence and extremist ideologies, assuring them of safety under the “Poona Margham” initiative, reported PTI. According to police data, with this group, a total of 790 rebels have surrendered in Bijapur district since January 2024. During the same timeframe, security forces neutralised 202 Naxalites in separate encounters and arrested 1,031 others. Statewide, more than 2,200 cadres have surrendered in the past 23 months.