Chhattisgarh: 37 Maoists surrender in Dantewada

More than 508 Maoists have given up violence and joined the mainstream in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada in the past 20 months

Raipur: Thirty-seven Maoists, 27 of them collectively carrying a reward of ₹65 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on Sunday, police said.

Over 2,200 Maoists, including several senior leaders, have surrendered in Chhattisgarh in the last 23 months. (Representational image)

The cadres, including 12 women, turned themselves in before senior police and CRPF officials as part of the “Poona Margem” (from rehabilitation to social reintegration) initiative, Dantewada superintendent of police, Gaurav Rai, said.

Rai said the initiative, launched by Bastar range police, has emerged as a transformative effort to establish lasting peace, dignity and all-round development in the Bastar region.

Key cadres among those who surrendered include Kumali alias Anita Mandavi, Geeta alias Lakshmi Madkam, Ranjan alias Soma Mandavi and Bhima alias Jahaj Kalmu — each of them carried a reward of ₹8 lakh.

Under the government’s rehabilitation policy, each surrendered cadre will receive instant assistance of ₹50,000 along with other facilities such as skill-development training and agricultural land, officials said.

According to police, more than 508 Maoists — including 165 reward-carrying cadres — have given up violence and joined the mainstream in Dantewada alone in the past 20 months, encouraged by the Centre and the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policies.

Rai added that a large number of Maoists, from senior leaders to active cadres in their base areas, are deserting the organisation.

Across Chhattisgarh, more than 2,200 Maoists including several senior leaders have surrendered in the last 23 months, police said.

The Centre has set a target to eliminate Naxalism from the country by March 2026.