Chhattisgarh mass surrender: 122 Maoists give up guns in Bastar

RAIPUR: In yet another mass surrender, 122 Maoist cadres, including women, surrendered in strife-torn tribal Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, amid mounting pressure from the security forces which have stepped up anti-Naxal operations in the remote forest areas from early this year.
Calling it as the biggest surrender till date in insurgency-hit Bastar, Sukma police said nearly 15 of them were hard core rebels, who were carrying cash rewards to the tune of up to Rs 10 lakh.The Maoist cadres surrendered before the Inspector General of Police ( Bastar range) S R P Kalluri and Sukma district collector Neeraj Bansod and superintendent of police D Sharavan at Dornapal police station.
Sukma additional superintendent of police Santosh Singh said the some of the surrendered cadres are those carrying rewards and six of them are whom against warrants are pending. He said most of those surrendered are members of outlawed CPI (Maoist) group’s local operation squad (LOS), Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangthan (DAKMS) – a frontal outfit of Maoists and local Jan militia.
"Among these Ramesh LOS member of Gollapalli area and Madwi Raja of Pollampalli area were involved in Pidmil attack on and Kasalpad attack on CRPF jawans in 2014, 2015 respectively. Majority of the surrendered have extended their support to the rebels in digging up the roads, torching construction vehicles and passenger buses, planting and blasting IEDs, abducting villagers and constables and did supportive work like cooking, nursing and felling trees when asked," Singh said.
IG Bastar range SRP Kalluri said that two LOS members Ramesh and Dhirso surrendered with their muzzle loading guns and others were involved in dozens of Maoist related crimes. All of them were given immediate compensation of Rs 10,000 cheque as per the provisions in the state’s rehabilitation policy.
Active in Kanger valley, Jagargunda, Kistaram, Konta, Telangana, Kerlapal and Katekalyan committees, the Maoists said that the tribal rebels from Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra were suffering extreme discrimination from senior leaders of Andhra Pradesh who often dominate and exploit them.
While pressure from security forces are mounting, Bastar police also maintain that the rebel cadres are motivated to surrender as most of them are imagining a good life by availing benefits of state’s surrender policy and they feel that this was the best time to join the political mainstream.
However, critics and activist groups have been questioning the genuineness of these surrenders, pointing out that mass surrenders only have propaganda value as many of them are villagers who are charged with small offences.