Chhattisgarh: 23 Maoists, senior commanders from PLGA battalion carrying bounty of Rs 1.18 crore surrender in Bastar

RAIPUR: In what is being said as a big blow to Maoists’ organization, and a success in anti-Naxal campaign, 23 Maoists carrying a cumulative cash bounty of Rs 1.18 crore surrendered before police and CRPF in Sukma district of Bastar division in Chhattisgarh on Saturday.

A senior rank cadre involved in Sukma collector’s abduction in 2012 and a personal guard to dreaded Maoist commander Hidma, also surrendered.The surrendered cadres include nine women and three couples, along with high-ranking members of the PLGA battalion.Sukma SP Kiran Chavan said that among them was Lokesh alias Podiyam Bhima, a divisional committee member on the level of a commander who was accused of participating in multiple deadly attacks, including the high-profile 2012 abduction of then Sukma Collector Alex Paul Menon.

Lokesh carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head.Many of the surrendered cadres had serious cases against them. Ramesh alias Kalmu Kesa, who served as a personal guard to Maoist commander Hidma, was involved in the January 2024 attack on the Dharamavaram camp and several earlier ambushes. Kavasi Masa was named in the 2017 Burkapal encounter. Puneem Deve, another key surrender, was active in the Mukram-Tadmetla conflict in 2010.

Woman cadre Nuppo Gangi, who carried a bounty of Rs 8 lakh, was linked to multiple IED blasts and ambushes from 2017 to 2025.Some of the surrendered militants belonged to units operating across the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, including members from the Kandhamal-Kalahandi division, indicating the weakening of Maoist hold even in peripheral areas.There is a DVCM cadre, six platform party committee members (PPCMs), four area committee members (ACMs), and twelve party members active across various divisions including PLGA battalion number 1, South Zonal Bureau, Kanger Valley Area Committee, and Eastern Bastar Division.Their decision to abandon the armed struggle is attributed to the influence of the Chhattisgarh Naxalite Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy-2025 and the state's ongoing “Niyad Nella Nar” campaign, police said.The surrender event was held at the office of the Superintendent of Police, Sukma, in the presence of senior officials including CRPF DIG Anand Singh Rajpurohit (Sukma Range), CRPF DIG Syed Mohammad Habib Asgar (Jagdalpur Range), SP Kiran Chavan (Sukma), and commanders from CRPF’s 223rd, 227th, 165th, 204th, and COBRA 208 battalions, along with DRG and RFT teams from Jagdalpur.According to senior officers, the decision to surrender stemmed from increasing disillusionment with the Maoist ideology, exploitation by external leaders, and rising resentment against violence inflicted on local tribal communities. The expansion of new police camps deep inside sensitive zones has also contributed to growing pressure on underground cadres.Sukma SP Chavan said that all surrendered members will be rehabilitated under the state's updated surrender policy.

As per provisions, each will receive Rs 50,000 in immediate incentive and will be eligible for skill development, livelihood training, and other state support measures.CRPF DIG Anand Singh Rajpurohit said, “This is a historic moment. These surrenders were not coerced but voluntary. They reflect a powerful shift in the ground reality of the conflict zone.”Police believe this is a turning point in Sukma’s counter-insurgency efforts, and that more surrenders may follow in the coming months as the state continues to combine development, dialogue, and security enforcement in its anti-Naxal approach.