Chhattisgarh: 35 Naxalites including 16-year-old girl surrender in Dantewada district

In a significant development, 35 Naxalites, including a 16-year-old girl and an 18-year-old boy, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district on Sunday, according to a senior police official.

These surrenders mark a crucial blow to the Naxalite insurgency in the region, with three of the surrendered individuals carrying a combined reward of Rs 3 lakh, the official stated.

The surrendered cadres were reportedly involved in various activities, including digging roads, felling trees to block roads, and putting up posters and banners during Naxalite-called shutdowns, the official further revealed.

Among the surrendered Naxalites were key figures such as Baman Kartam, who held the position of Jiyakodta Panchayat Militia Platoon Commander, and Bhima Kunjam, the Aranpur Panchayat CNM president, as disclosed by Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai.

Additionally, woman Naxalite Kumme Lekam, who held the position of Hurrepal Panchayat Krantikari Mahila Adivasi Sangthan (KAMS) president and carried a reward of Rs 1 lakh, was also among those who surrendered.

Rai stated that the surrendered individuals cited their disillusionment with the Maoist ideology and their admiration for the police's rehabilitation drive, ‘Lon Varratu’ (return to your home), as reasons for their surrender.

Under the government's surrender and rehabilitation policy, these surrendered Naxalites will be provided with necessary facilities, Rai added.

The surrender of these 35 Naxalites brings the total number of individuals who have joined the mainstream under the police's Lon Varratu campaign to 796, including 180 individuals with rewards, officials confirmed.