Raipur: Leftwing insurgency-hit Bastar in Chhattisgarh is currently witnessing an unusual phenomenon in which Maoists are seen surrendering in large groups.
A week after a record 50 Naxals surrendered in Bijapur in south Bastar, 26 Maoists, including three ultras carrying bounties, on Monday laid down arms in Dantewada in south Bastar.
“The surrendered cadres said they are disillusioned with the Maoist ideology, hardships of jungle life and growing internal conflict within the banned CPI (Maoist)”, Dantewada district superintendent of police Gaurav Rai said.
Three of the 26 surrendered Maoists carried bounties on their heads.
Rajesh Kashyap, who served as Aamdai area jan militia commander, had a bounty of Rs three lakh.
Kosa Madvi, head of Jantan Sarkar squad, carried a reward of Rs one lakh and Chhotu Kunjam, a member of the CNM (Chetna Natya Manch), had a Rs 50,000 reward on him.
With this, a total of 953 Naxals, including 224 with cash awards, have surrendered in Dantewada in the last one and half decades.
In Bastar region comprising seven districts of Dantewada, Bastar, Sukma, Kanker, Bijapur, Kondagaon and Narayanpur, 547 Maoists have surrendered in the current year so far.
Bastar range inspector general of police P Sunderraj attributed the sudden surge in the incidents of Naxal surrenders to the ‘offensive action against them by the security forces”.
“The Maoists have been left with no option but to surrender because of the offensive action by the security forces against them. Many top Maoist leaders were killed in the recent encounters, driving the Naxal cadres in disarray”, the police officer said.
He predicted that the current Naxal surrender spree will intensify in the coming days.
Fifty Maoists surrendered in Bijapur on March 30 hours before Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Chhattisgarh.