Six Naxalites surrender in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker, over 2,700 join mainstream in 26 months
Six Maoist cadres, including area committee members, surrendered in Kanker district, adding to growing numbers under Chhattisgarh’s rehabilitation policy.
Kanker, Mar 26 (PTI) Six Naxalites have surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district in last two days, a senior official said on Thursday.
Five Maoist cadres from the Rajnandgaon-Kanker border division and one from military company number 5 turned themselves in before the police and decided to join the mainstream over the past two days, Kanker Superintendent of Police Nikhil Rakhecha said.
The surrendered cadres were identified as Area Committee Members (ACM) Mangesh Podiyami, Ganesh V K, Mangti Jurri, Hidme Markam alias Sunita, Raje, and PPCM (platoon party committee member) Swaroopa Usendi from PLGA military company number 5, he said.
They handed over three weapons, including one Self-Loading Rifle (SLR) and two .303 rifles, to the police, he said.
Based on the information they provided, efforts are underway to establish contact with other active cadres in the region and encourage them to give up violence and join the mainstream, he said.
The formal process of rehabilitation, including reintegration into society and submission of weapons, will be held later, he added.
Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, reiterated his appeal to the remaining Maoist cadres to renounce violence and opt for a peaceful and dignified life.
He assured that those who surrender will receive all benefits under the government's rehabilitation policy.
More than 2,700 Maoist cadres have joined the mainstream in the past 26 months under the state's surrender and rehabilitation policy, he added.
On March 24, senior Maoist commander Papa Rao surrendered along with 17 of his associates in the Bastar region, marking a major development in the state's fight against Left Wing Extremism.
Following his surrender, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio, said that no senior-ranking Naxal operative would remain active in the state after Papa Rao's surrender.
He expressed confidence that Chhattisgarh would be free of armed Naxalism by the March 31, 2026 deadline. PTI