210 Maoists surrendered in Chhattisgarh altogether. They surrendered at the Jagdalpur headquarters in Bastar division on Friday, October 17. Among them is a member of the Central Committee of the Maoists. Today, they surrendered their arms and returned to the mainstream of society.
Among the surrendered Maoists are one member of the Central Committee, four members of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DSZC), 21 members of the divisional committee and 61 members of the area committee.
According to Army and police sources, the Maoists have surrendered a total of 153 weapons. There are 19 AK-47 rifles, 17 self-loading rifles (SLRs), 23 INSAS rifles, one INSAS light machine gun (LMG), 36 303 rifles, four carbines and 11 barrel grenade launchers (BGL).
On Thursday, 170 Maoists surrendered in Chhattisgarh, declaring the incident as a "historic day". Home Minister Amit Shah announced Bastar and Abujmar as "Maoist-free". He said, “It is a matter of immense joy that Abujhmad and North Bastar in Chhattisgarh, which were once strongholds of terror, have today been completely declared free from Naxalite violence.”
It is to be noted that Abujmar and Bastar were once known as Maoist strongholds. Over the past few years, the picture has changed. On Wednesday, 27 Maoists, including 10 women, surrendered in Sukma.
In the last one-and-a-half years, around 2,100 Maoists have surrendered in Chhattisgarh. 1,875 people were arrested. Security forces killed 477 people. The Modi government has vowed to wipe out the Maoists from the country by March 31, 2026. The campaign is going on continuously in that direction. After the BJP came to power in Chhattisgarh in January, the central government has intensified the campaign.
