Over 60 Naxals Surrender in Bastar; SZCM Cadre Naxalite Surrenders for First Time

Raipur. More than 60 Naxalites surrendered across four districts in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on a single day. Of these, 55 Naxalites had a combined bounty of ₹2.27 crore on their heads. This marks a significant blow to the Naxal movement in the region, official sources said.

In Bijapur district, 25 Naxalites surrendered, with 23 of them carrying rewards worth ₹1.15 crore. Among them is a Special Zonal Committee Member (SZCM) cadre Naxalite — the first time an SZCM member has surrendered in Bastar.

In Kanker, 13 Naxalites surrendered, with bounties totalling ₹62 lakh. In Narayanpur, eight Naxalites surrendered, carrying rewards of ₹33 lakh. In Dantewada, 16 Naxalites surrendered, and five of them had a combined bounty of ₹17 lakh.

The surrendered Naxalites include a Military Company Commander, along with Divisional Committee Members (DVCM), Platoon Party Committee Members (PPCM), and Area Committee Members (ACM) ranks.

District-wise Surrenders

🔸 Kanker:
Thirteen Naxalites, active in the North Bastar Division’s Raoghat, Partapur, and Maad areas, gave up violence.
This group includes:

• 1 Naxalite with ₹10 lakh reward – Manglu alias Rupesh, commander of Military Company Number 1
• 4 with ₹8 lakh each
• 3 with ₹5 lakh each
• 5 with ₹1 lakh each

🔸 Bijapur:
Twenty-five Naxalites surrendered, including Ramanna Irpa, who had a ₹25 lakh reward.
The group also includes:

• 5 Naxalites with ₹8 lakh each
• 8 with ₹5 lakh each
• 1 with ₹2 lakh
• 7 with ₹1 lakh each
  These include cadres of DVCM, PPCM, and ACM ranks.

🔸 Narayanpur:
Eight Naxalites, including four women, laid down their arms.
Among them:

• 3 had ₹8 lakh bounties
• 1 had ₹5 lakh
• 4 had ₹1 lakh each
  Watti Ganga alias Mukesh, a DVCM cadre and TD team in-charge, also surrendered.
  All had been associated with the Maoist organisation for several years.

🔸 Dantewada:
Sixteen Naxalites surrendered.

• Budhram had an ₹8 lakh reward
• 1 with ₹5 lakh reward
• 1 with ₹2 lakh reward
• 2 with ₹1 lakh each

“Poonam Margem” Campaign Pays Off

The police in Bastar division have been running a new campaign called “Poonam Margem”, which translates to “Rehabilitation to Rejuvenation”. This initiative began a few days ago, and its early success is evident in the large-scale surrender of Naxalites with significant bounties.

Bastar Inspector General of Police (IG) Sundarraj P. stated that this is a major setback for the Naxal organisation, with many high-ranking cadres surrendering.
The IG appealed to other Naxalites to abandon violence, return to the mainstream, and benefit from government schemes.