Nagpur: As many as 11 Maoists carrying a combined reward of Rs 82 lakh surrendered before the police in Maharashtra’s Maoist-hit Gadchiroli Wednesday, marking a major success for the state police in its efforts to weaken the red rebels’ influence in the region.
Officials said all 11 Maoists had been involved in violent activities for decades together and were active across Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. They all surrendered before Maharashtra Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla at an event organised in Gadchiroli.
Of the 11, four of them surrendered along with their weapons and Maoist uniforms.
Prominent among them was Ramesh, also known as Bhima or Baju Guddi Lekami, who had carried a reward of Rs 16 lakh and 88 cases registered against him in Gadchiroli alone, including 43 encounters, eight arson cases and 37 other offences. His involvement in cases in other states is under verification. He had joined the banned organisation in 2004.
Apart from the DGP, senior police officers, including Additional DGP (Special Operations) Chhering Dorje, were also present on the occasion. They were on a two-day visit to Gadchiroli from Tuesday.
The police said that growing disillusionment with Maoist ideology and frustration with the violence inflicted on civilians have pushed many members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) to consider rehabilitation under the state’s Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy, introduced in 2005.
According to officials, 783 Maoists have surrendered before the Gadchiroli Police so far under this programme.
The latest development follows two major mass surrenders earlier this year. January 1 this year, 11 Maoists, including Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee member Tarakka Sidam, surrendered before the state leadership. Later, on October 15, Politburo and central committee member Mallojula Venugopal Rao, also known as Bhupathi or Sonu, along with 61 senior cadres, surrendered before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The police said these setbacks have significantly weakened Maoist influence across Gadchiroli and the wider Dandakaranya region.
During the DGP’s visit, a programme was held at Eklavya Hall, where C-60 officers and personnel were felicitated for their role in securing the surrender of 61 Maoists in the Laheri forest area.
The DGP said, “These officers and personnel, without regard for their own lives, entered an extremely remote forest area and achieved remarkable success.” She appealed to remaining armed cadres to lay down their weapons and “join the mainstream of democracy to live a life of dignity.”
The DGP also released a guidebook titled “Project Udaan – A Glimpse of Development: Government Scheme Handbook”, prepared by the Gadchiroli Police to help officers share information about state welfare schemes in remote regions.
