37 Hardcore naxalites, 27 commanders with ₹65 lakh bounty, surrender in Dantewada

Dantewada (The Uttam Hindu): Security forces have achieved a major success against Naxalism in South Bastar, Chhattisgarh. On Sunday, 37 hardcore Naxalites, including 27 carrying a total of ₹6.5 million (approximately $1.5 million) worth of bounties, decided to lay down their arms and return to mainstream society. All of them formally surrendered to officials at the DRG office in Dantewada.

The surrendered cadres include four carrying rewards of ₹8 lakh, one carrying rewards of ₹5 lakh, and several carrying rewards of ₹2 lakh and ₹1 lakh. These include active members of core Naxalite structures such as Company No. 6, Company No. 10, Platoon 16, Amdai Area Committee, and Indravati Area Committee. Some are also women, having served as bodyguards for SGCM Kamlesh and DVCM Nirmala.

These terrorists are accused of several major crimes between 2019 and 2024. These include the attack on a TSOC team in Minpa in 2020 (26 soldiers were killed, 20 were injured, and weapons were looted), firing on a police party in the Gobel-Thulthuli forest in 2024, and digging up roads, felling trees, and putting up banners and posters during the shutdown week.

DIG Dantewada Range Kamlochan Kashyap, DIG CRPF Rakesh Chaudhary, SP Dantewada Gaurav Rai, Commandant 111, 230 and 80th Battalion CRPF and many other senior officers were present in the surrender ceremony.

Bastar Inspector General Sundarraj P. stated that the Poona Margem (revival through rehabilitation) has now become the strongest initiative for lasting peace in Bastar. In just 20 months, more than 508 Naxalites, including 165 with rewards, have surrendered in Dantewada. Across the Bastar range, 1,160 Naxalites, including 333 with rewards, have returned to the mainstream under the Lon Varratu campaign.

All surrendered Naxalites were immediately given an incentive of 50,000 rupees. Under the Chhattisgarh government's rehabilitation policy, they will receive skill training, agricultural land, housing, and other facilities.

The police and administration have once again appealed to all to abandon the path of violence and embrace peace and respect. The Poona Margam is open to any comrades who wish to return home.