Bijapur (Chhattisgarh): In a significant development, as many as 33 Maoists voluntarily surrendered before security forces in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur, citing disillusionment with Maoist ideology and condemning the atrocities committed by their own group against tribals, the police said.
The Maoists surrendered before senior officials from the police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) citing disappointment with atrocities committed by Maoists on tribals and "hollow" Maoist ideology, Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Yadav said. They were also impressed by the police's rehabilitation policy, he said.
Yadav also said that among the surrendered Maoists, including two women, are notable figures such as Raju Hemla alias Thakur and Samo Karma, both of whom carried rewards of Rs 2 lakh each for their alleged involvement in previous attacks on security personnel. Additionally, Sudru Punem, identified as the head of a Maoist revolutionary party committee, had a bounty of Rs 1 lakh on his head.
The surrendered Maoists were not only offered a financial incentive of Rs 25,000 each, but also assured of assistance and support through the government's rehabilitation programme. This programme aims at providing them with necessary resources, vocational training and psychological counselling to facilitate their reintegration into society as law-abiding citizens, the police said. With this, 109 Maoists renounced violence so far in the district this year, while 189 others have been apprehended by security forces, the police added.
