DANTEWADA: At least 26 Naxalites, including three carrying bounties, surrendered before security forces in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Monday, police said.
The cadres turned themselves in before senior officials from the police and Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF), citing disillusionment with the "hollow" and "inhuman" Maoist ideology, harsh forest life and infighting within the outlawed outfit, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.
He said the surrendered Naxalites belonged to Janmiltia, Revolutionary Party Committee (RPC) and Janatana Sarkar wings of Maoists and their frontal units like Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangthan (DAKMS) and Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM).
Of the surrendered cadres, Rajesh Kashyap was active as the Aamdai area Janmilitia commander and carried a reward of Rs 3 lakh, while Kosa Madvi, head of the Janatana Sarkar squad, and Chhotu Kunjam, a member of CNM, carried bounties of Rs 1 lakh and Rs 50,000 respectively, the official said.
He said the 111th, 195th, 230th and 231st battalions of the CRPF and local intelligence unit were instrumental in the surrender.
With this, 953 Naxalites, including 224 carrying bounties, have so far quit violence in the district under the 'Lon Varratu' (a term coined in the local Gondi dialect which means return to your home/village) campaign, launched in June 2020, police said.
In 2024, 792 Naxalites had surrendered in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, including Dantewada, they said.