Of the 50 surrendered Naxals, six carried rewards of Rs eight lakh each, three had bounties of Rs five lakh each, and five others had rewards of Rs one lakh each on their heads, police said
Raipur: As many as 50 Maoists, 14 of whom carried a cumulative bounty of Rs 68 lakhs, on Sunday surrendered before the police in Bijapur in south Bastar of Chhattisgarh, police said.
This was the first time such a large number of Naxals surrendered at one go in Bastar.
Of the 50 surrendered Naxals, six carried rewards of Rs eight lakh each, three had bounties of Rs five lakh each, and five others had rewards of Rs one lakh each on their heads, police said.
“The surrender of Naxals comes basically due to the presence of security forces and initiatives such as ‘Niya Nellanar’ scheme, providing basic amenities and government welfare programmes in the villages, undertaken by the state government”, Bijapur district senior superintendent of police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said.
The surrender of the Maoists came barely a few hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Chhattisgarh on Sunday.
Union home minister Amit Shah hailed the feat, saying that ‘It is a matter of great joy that 50 Naxals in Bijapur surrendered, shunning the path of violence. I welcome those who give up violence and join the mainstream”.
Taking to X, he said “(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi Ji’s policy is very clear that the Maoists who shun the path of violence and embrace the path of development will be rehabilitated and connected to the mainstream. I again appeal to other Maoists to give up violence and join the mainstream”.
He reiterated the Centre’s resolve to end Naxalism in the country by March 31, 2026.
