In a significant development for security operations in the restive south Bastar region, 26 Naxal cadres, including 13 with cumulative bounties of ₹65 lakh on their heads, surrendered before security forces in Sukma district on Wednesday. The mass surrender marks a critical success for the state’s concerted counter-insurgency and outreach efforts.
The event was facilitated under the Chhattisgarh government’s “Poona Margem” (New Path) initiative, a comprehensive policy designed to encourage armed militants to abandon violence and reintegrate into mainstream society. The group, which included seven women, laid down their arms in the presence of Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan and senior officials from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
According to police reports, the surrendered individuals were operatives of various formidable units of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Their affiliations spanned the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion, the South Bastar division, the Maad division, and the Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) division, indicating a wide operational footprint across multiple states.
“They were involved in several incidents of violence in Abujhmad and Sukma regions of Chhattisgarh, as well as in bordering areas of Odisha,” stated SP Kiran Chavan. He highlighted that aside from sustained security pressure, “prolonged exposure to hardship and internal discontent within the organisation also contributed to their decision to surrender.”
The most notable among those who surrendered is Lali alias Muchaki Aayte Lakhmu (35), a Company Party Committee member carrying a reward of ₹10 lakh. She is alleged to have played a key role in several major attacks, most notably the 2017 IED blast on the Koraput road in Odisha, which killed 14 security personnel.
The list of high-profile surrenders includes four other cadres, each carrying bounties of ₹8 lakh:
Hemla Lakhma (41): Allegedly involved in the devastating 2020 Minpa ambush in Sukma, where 17 security personnel lost their lives.
Aasmita alias Kamlu Sanni (20)
Rambati alias Padam Jogi (21)
Sundam Pale (20)
Further strengthening the security windfall, three cadres had bounties of ₹5 lakh each, one carried ₹3 lakh, another ₹2 lakh, and three others were rewarded with ₹1 lakh each. Their collective surrender deals a substantial operational and psychological blow to the Naxal apparatus in the region.
Upon surrender, all 26 individuals were provided immediate financial assistance of ₹50,000 each. Officials confirmed that they will now be enrolled in the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy. This policy offers a structured path to normalcy, including vocational training, housing support, livelihood assistance, and legal aid to navigate pending cases.
The “Poona Margem” initiative, coupled with aggressive and precise counter-insurgency operations, appears to be creating a conducive environment for disillusioned cadres to seek a way out. This event is being viewed as one of the most substantial mass surrenders in recent times, potentially encouraging more cadres to follow suit and accelerating the pacification of Chhattisgarh’s most affected districts.
Leave Your Comment