Thirty Naxals surrender in Chhattisgarh

Bijapur, Aug 27 (PTI) As many as thirty Naxalites, 20 of them carrying a collective bounty of Rs 79 lakh, surrendered in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, police said.

The cadres include nine women, an officer said.

They turned themselves in before senior police and CRPF officers, said Bijapur superintendent of police Jitendra Kumar Yadav.

The surrendered cadres include Sonu Hemla alias Koroti (38), a divisional committee member and in charge of the KK sub-division bureau of Maoists, who was active since 2003. He and his wife, Sukdi Gawde, carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively, on their heads.

Other members include two platoon party committee members (PPCMs), identified as Kallu Punem (28) and Kosi Kunjam (28), party members Moti Punem (25) and Pande Punem (25), and PLGA (people's liberation guerrilla army) cadre Chhotu Kunjam (19), who carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each.

Two surrendered cadres carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, while nine others carried a reward of Rs 2 lakh each. Two more surrendered cadres carried a bounty of Rs 50,000 each, he added.

With the latest incident, the count of Naxals who have surrendered in Bijapur district since January has risen to 307.

The ultras surrendered following disillusionment with "hollow" Maoist ideology, atrocities against tribals and internal feuds, Yadav claimed.

The surrendered cadres were also impressed by the 'Niyad Nellanar' (your good village) scheme of the state government and the new surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state government, police said.

Besides, the Bastar Police have launched "Poona Margham (Rehabilitation for Social Reintegration) rehabilitation initiative for Naxals who lay down arms.

All the surrendered Naxalites were provided with an assistance of Rs 50,000 each.

Different units of state police, CRPF's 199th, 170th, and 85th battalions, and 202nd battalion of CoBRA (a specialised unit of CRPF) have played a special role in the surrender.

"Several Maoists have been quitting violence and surrendering after being impressed with 'Niyad Nellanar' and the new surrender and rehabilitation policy of the state government," the superintendent of police said.

These initiatives have been introduced to promote peace and development in Naxal-hit areas. Various facilities are being provided to the surrendered Maoists, such as rehabilitation, employment, and education. Besides, relief and rehabilitation are being provided to people affected by Maoist violence, he added. PTI Cor TKP NSK