Eight Maoists, including four allegedly involved in the killing of a BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi in April 2019, surrendered in Dantewada district of Bastar region citing their disappointment in the ‘hollow ideology’ of CPI (Maoist), the Chhattisgarh police said on Tuesday.
Police said that the surrendered Maoists were given immediate assistance of ₹10,000 each and will be provided other facilities under the Chhattisgarh government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy.
“Eight Maoists surrendered on Monday evening under our drive which is called ‘Lon Varratu’. Out of these eight, Bhima Barse (28), Sona Tati (20), Madka Barse (21) and Pitte alias Bhima Mandavi (35) among who were among the Maoists involved in the killing of MLA Mandavi,” said Dantewada’s Superintendent of Police (SP), Abhishek Pallava.
The others who surrendered are Aytu Bhaskar (25), section commander in platoon number 13 of Maoists, Raju Karam (25), head of Chetna Natya Mandli and Mahesh Kumar Dodi, the SP added.
“We have started a drive “Lon Varratu” which has been very successful in Dantewada district and till now a total of 226 Maoists have surrendered in the district,” said the SP.
Under “Lon Varratu”, which in local Gondi language means ‘Return Home’, about 50 hypersensitive Maoist villages have been selected and pamphlets about the details of the left-wing rebels have been put in the village by the villagers with an appeal to surrender. The initiative was launched in June.
{{/usCountry}}Under “Lon Varratu”, which in local Gondi language means ‘Return Home’, about 50 hypersensitive Maoist villages have been selected and pamphlets about the details of the left-wing rebels have been put in the village by the villagers with an appeal to surrender. The initiative was launched in June.
{{/usCountry}}However, tribal leaders allege that in “Lon Varratu” drive, the common tribals now find themselves trapped between police and Maoists.
“Who has given rights to the police to declare a person as Maoist? Have they submitted the list of Maoists to the court? Common people who are farming in their village are declared as Maoist under this campaign,” said Soni Sori, a tribal leader of Bastar.
She further said that on one hand, the tribals are pressurized to surrender and on the other hand, Maoists torture them for cooperating with police.