23 Naxalites with cumulative bounty of Rs 1.18 cr surrender in Chhattisgarh

Sukma: As many as 23 hardcore Naxalites, including three couples, carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 1.18 crore, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday, a senior police official said. The surrendered Naxalites include 11 senior cadres, most of them active in the Peoples' Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion no.1, which is considered the strongest military formation of Maoists, the official said. They turned themselves in before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials, citing their disappointment with "hollow" Maoist ideology, atrocities committed by Naxalites on innocent tribals and growing internal differences within the banned outfit, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan said. He said there were nine women among surrendered cadres.

The official said Lokesh alias Podiam Bhima (35), Ramesh alias Kalmu Kesa (23), Kawasi Masa (35), Madkam Hunga (23), Nuppo Gangi (28), Punem Deve (30), Paraski Pandey (22), Madvi Joga (20), Nuppo Lachchu (25), Podiam Sukhram (24) and Dudhi Bheema carried a reward of Rs 8 lakh each. "Lokesh was a divisional committee member, and eight others were members of the PLGA battalion no.1 formation of Maoists. The development shows that this battalion is weakening, and its members have been continuously quitting Naxalism due to intensified anti-Naxal operations being carried out by security forces on the Sukma-Bijapur inter-district border," Chavan said. Four other cadres carried a bounty of Rs 5 lakh each, one cadre Rs 3 lakh and seven cadres Rs 1 lakh each, he said. The official said some of the surrendered Naxalities were active in the Aamdai, Jagargunda and Kerlapal area committees of Maoists. All the surrendered Naxalites were provided assistance of Rs 50,000 each and will be further rehabilitated as per the government's policy, he added. On Friday, 22 Naxalites, who were active in the Abhujmad area and carried a collective bounty of Rs 37.5 lakh, surrendered in Narayanpur district.