21 Maoists surrender in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker

Twenty-one Maoist cadres, including a divisional committee secretary, surrendered before police in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district on Sunday, officials said. The group also handed over 18 weapons, marking another significant blow to the insurgent movement in the state’s Bastar region.

According to police, the surrender took place under the ‘Poona Margem: Rehabilitation through Reintegration’ initiative launched by the Bastar Range police to encourage Maoists to shun violence and return to the mainstream.

“The 21 includes Division Committee Secretary Mukesh. Thirteen are women ultras. The 21 comprise four divisional committee members, nine area committee members and eight part of the outlawed movement's lower rungs. They all belong to Kuemari/Kiskodo Area Committee of the Keshkal Division (North Sub-Zonal Bureau) of the Communist Party of India (Maoist),” a senior police official said.

The cadres handed over three AK-47 rifles, two INSAS rifles, four self-loading rifles (SLRs), six .303 rifles, two single-shot rifles, and a Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL) to the authorities during the surrender.

Police officials said the decision of several senior functionaries to lay down arms reflected the growing impact of sustained security operations and the Bastar police’s community-based outreach programmes.

Poona Margem policy

Under the ‘Poona Margem’ policy, surrendered Maoists are provided with financial assistance, skill development training, and other rehabilitation support to facilitate reintegration into civilian life.

The Bastar region, which has long been the epicentre of Left Wing Extremism in central India, has witnessed a series of high-profile surrenders this month.

On 17 October, as many as 210 Naxalites, including Central Committee Member Rupesh alias Satish, surrendered in Jagdalpur in Bastar district. The group, which collectively carried a bounty of Rs 9.18 crore, handed over 153 weapons, including automatic rifles and explosives.

Earlier, on 2 October, another 103 Naxalites, 49 of whom carried a combined reward exceeding Rs 1.06 crore, surrendered in Bijapur district.

Police said the repeated surrenders in October demonstrate a “turning point” in the counter-insurgency efforts in Bastar, with increasing numbers of cadres abandoning the Maoist movement due to tactical pressure, loss of leadership, and developmental outreach by the state government.

Security forces remain on high alert across the Bastar division, continuing combing and area domination operations in coordination with central paramilitary units.