At least 26 Maoists, including three carrying bounties on their heads, surrendered before the security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Monday amid the ongoing offensive against the rebels in the state.
The extremists laid down arms in front of police and the CRPF, citing disillusionment with the “hollow Maoist ideology”, harsh forest life and infighting within the outlawed outfit, Dantewada superintendent of police Gaurav Rai said.
According to Rai, the surrendered Maoists belonged to Jan militia, Revolutionary Party Committee (RPC) and Janatana Sarkar — wings of their frontal units like Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangthan (DAKMS) and Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM).
Sources said that of the surrendered cadres, Rajesh Kashyap was active as the Aamdai area Jan militia commander and carried a reward of ₹3 lakh, while Kosa Madvi, head of the Janatana Sarkar squad, and Chhotu Kunjam, a member of CNM, carried bounties of ₹1 lakh and ₹50,000, respectively.
A total of 521 Maoists have laid down arms this year, while 881 surrendered in 2024.
On Sunday, Union home minister Amit Shah had urged Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region to lay down their arms.
