Raipur, Apr 7: As many as 26 Maoists, including three carrying rewards totaling ₹4.5 lakh, surrendered before the security forces on Monday, along with five women Maoists in Narayanpur. This brought the total count of surrenders on Monday to 31, as per officials.

The five female Maoists who surrendered in Narayanpur were active in various regional committees and each of them carried a reward.

These women expressed a desire to shun violence and return to the mainstream due to years of hardship in forests and disillusionment with Maoist ideology.

Officials hailed this as a positive step and hoped it would inspire others to follow suit.

These Maoists, once involved in Naxal-related activities such as road sabotage and disseminating propaganda, have renounced violence under the ‘Lon Varratu (Come Back Home)’ campaign.

Since its inception, the campaign has seen 953 Naxalites in Dantewada district surrender, 224 of whom had rewards on their heads.

The Bastar region, heavily affected by Naxalism, has witnessed a significant number of Maoists giving up arms, driven by sustained efforts to reintegrate them into society.

Led by senior officials, the Dantewada district administration and police force, supported by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have actively promoted the state's rehabilitation policy.

Their efforts include outreach in villages to guide misguided youth and hardcore Maoists towards reintegration into society.

The 26 surrendered Maoists included individuals with rewards, such as Rajesh Kashyap, Kosa Madvi, and others.

Women like Kumari Oyam and others from Narayanpur also joined the mainstream.

As part of the rehabilitation policy, the government will provide financial assistance, skill development training, and other support to help them build a new life.

“The Maoists have decided to surrender and leave the path of Naxalism and return to the mainstream. These women who surrendered before the police and administration said that they now want to leave the path of violence and live a normal life,” officials said.

The officials have called this surrender a positive sign and expressed hope that other Maoists will also be inspired by this and adopt the path of peace and surrender.

(IANS)

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