As many as 108 Maoists from Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, cumulatively carrying a bounty of $3.95 lakh crore on their heads, they surrendered on Wednesday before security forces ahead of the March 31 deadline to end Maoism in India, leading to the recovery of the largest-ever Maoist arms depot.
The Union Home Ministry said that at least eight members of the oath committee were among those who surrendered. Most of the surrendered Maoists are from Bijapur district (37), followed by Dantewada (30). Bijapur, Sukuma and Narayanpur in Bastar district are among the three remaining districts affected by left-wing extremism.
A Bastar district police statement said security forces carried out the largest-ever recovery of an arms depot in the history of anti-Maoist operations based on inputs from surrendered Maoists. A detailed statement on the recovery is expected later on Wednesday.
Maoists surrendered from Dandakaranya Special District Committee under the initiative “Puna Marjim: From Rehabilitation to Rejuvenation”.
Police said only two members of the central committee of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) are now wanted before the deadline to end Maoism. The committee includes 21 members as of January 1 of last year. Nineteen of them surrendered or were killed in gun battles. At its peak in the early 2000s, the committee had between 40 and 45 members.
