Hours ahead of PM's Chhattisgarh visit, 50 Naxalites surrender in Bijapur

In 2024, a total of 792 Naxalites surrendered in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, as per police.

Fifty Naxalites, including 14 with a cumulative reward of Rs 68 lakh on their heads, surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Sunday, a police official said.

They laid down arms in front of senior officials of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), he added.

“They surrendered citing the hollow and inhuman Maoist ideology, exploitation of tribals by senior cadres of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist), as well as differences brewing within the movement. They are also impressed by security forces setting up camps and the 'Niya Nellanar' (your good village) scheme, under which forces and the administration are providing basic amenities in remote areas,” Bijapur Senior Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav said.

“Of the 50 who surrendered, six carry rewards of Rs 8 lakh each, while three have bounties of Rs 5 lakh each. Five have rewards of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads. The District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), CRPF, and its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) played a key role in their surrender,” Yadav added.

They will be rehabilitated as per the government’s policy for Naxalites leaving the movement and joining the mainstream, the SP said.

The surrender comes hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state. He will lay the foundation stone, initiate the commencement of work, and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth more than Rs 33,700 crore.

Incidentally, security forces gunned down 18 Naxals, including 11 women, in twin encounters in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region on Saturday, marking a major success in the mission to eradicate Naxalism before March 31, 2026.

With the latest successes, 134 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this year. Of them, 118 were eliminated in the Bastar division.

In 2024, a total of 792 Naxalites surrendered in the Bastar region, comprising seven districts, as per police.