Surrendered Maoist couple in Odisha appeal to comrades to shun violence

Koraput: While laying down arms before senior police officers in Rayagada on Saturday, CPI (Maoist) leader Niranjan Rout alias Nikhil appealed to his former comrades to abandon violence and return to the mainstream.In a video message released after his surrender, Nikhil said the “armed struggle” had lost its direction and was drifting away from the people it claimed to represent. “Today, it is very difficult to continue with an armed revolution. We are losing a lot and moving away from the masses. So my wife Indu, Bikash and I have surrendered and chosen to continue our fight for the downtrodden in a democratic manner,” Nikhil said.

“Leave the gun, come to the mainstream and work for society in a democratic manner,” he added.Nikhil urged underground cadres to contact police at 9437643839 and assured them of full assistance under the govt’s rehabilitation policy.Nikhil, 47, and his wife Rasmita Lenka alias Indu, 43, both members of the outfit’s Odisha state committee, surrendered along with a divisional committee member, five area committee members and seven party members.

The couple carried a reward of Rs 55 lakh each, and the total bounty on all the surrendered Maoists, including seven women cadres, stood at Rs 1.98 crore.Nikhil, a native of Tentulibelari village in Jagatsinghpur district, was drawn into radical politics after the 1999 Super Cyclone devastated the coastal belt. During rehabilitation work by NGOs, he came in contact with Left-wing activists and was gradually influenced by Maoist ideology.In 2005, he was formally inducted into the outfit after receiving training in West Bengal and Sambalpur. Over the years, he rose through the ranks to become secretary of the Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Niyamgiri (BGN) division.Highly secretive and strategic, Nikhil handled party literature, press statements and major review meetings. He rarely appeared before villagers and even fellow cadres had limited access to him.

Police said he played a key role in sustaining the Maoist network in Odisha during a period when senior leaders were absent.Indu, from Rasikanagar village in Cuttack district, joined the Maoist movement in 2004 while pursuing her post-graduation. A graduate from a Cuttack college, she came in contact with activists of Chhatra Yuba Sangram Committee and was motivated to join the underground movement without informing her family.“After I joined the Maoist movement, I never contacted my family members or relatives,” Indu said. “We joined with a vision to eliminate the exploitation of the downtrodden in society. But we couldn’t achieve that goal. Now it is the call of the time to change and fight in a democratic and constitutional way,” she added.Police said Indu was involved in collecting funds from local contractors in Kalahandi and Rayagada districts and arranging logistics like rations and medicines through sympathisers.ADG (anti-Naxal operations) Sanjeeb Panda said the couple exercised strong control in remote parts of Kandhamal, Kalahandi and Rayagada, where communication facilities are poor. “But the steady decline of CPI (Maoist) influence and sustained security pressure forced them to rethink their path,” he said.With their surrender, police believe Maoist operations in BGN region will weaken significantly, and Rayagada is expected to be declared Maoist-free soon.