Four Maoists, including three women from Chhattisgarh’s Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada, surrendered to the police in Odisha’s Kandhamal district on Friday.
Four Maoists were involved in at least 17 cases. (source)Police said Ganga Kunjami alias Jiten, 24, Muchki Mase alias Sumitra, 23, Chomali Kunjam alias Santila, 21 and Bandi Madhvi alias Malti, 22, were armed with an SLR and a .303 rifle. They added that the four were involved in the violence in Odisha’s Kandhama-Kalahandi-Bolangir-Nupara division.
Four Maoists were involved in at least 17 cases registered in Kandhamal. Ganga Kunjami, who joined the Maoists in 2018 and arrived in Kandhamal in 2021, was involved in six cases. Muchki Masar was named in eight cases. Chomali Kunjam and Bandi Madhvi are involved in three cases each.
Surrendering Maoists carry an ever-increasing bounty ₹10.6 lakh on their heads, which they will now get under the state’s surrender policy.
Inspector General Niti Sekhar said the surrender was a major blow to the Maoists in Kandhamal, their last stronghold in Odisha. Odisha’s Malkangiri, Koraput, Nuapara and Nabarangpur have been declared Maoist-free after multiple surrenders this year.
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As part of the state government’s rehabilitation and reintegration policy, every surrendered Maoist was immediately provided ₹25,000. They will also get accommodation under the Antyodaya Griha Yojana, a one-time marriage incentive ₹25,000. These four will be enrolled free of cost in the short-term skill development programme. During the skill development training, they will get a monthly stipend ₹10,000 for a maximum of three years.
The fresh surrender came as the central government’s March 31 deadline to end the left-wing insurgency approached. Hundreds of Maoists have been killed or surrendered as the banned outfit faced leadership beheadings.
The killing of Maoist chief Nambala Keshwa Rao, alias Basavaraju, in May last year marked the most significant breakthrough in years against the left-wing insurgency.
