Chhattisgarh witnesses major Maoist surrender
Big news from Chhattisgarh: 23 members of the banned Maoist group, carrying a total bounty of ₹1.18 crore for violent crimes like armed rebellion and attacks on civilians, surrendered to police and CRPF in Sukma district on Saturday.
This follows another surrender by 22 Maoists just a day earlier in Narayanpur, signaling that Maoist influence in Bastar is really shrinking.
Those who gave up arms, details of bounties
Among those who gave up arms were 11 senior fighters from the PLGA Battalion No. 1, including Lokesh (involved in the high-profile 2012 Sukma collector abduction) and Ramesh (a close guard of top commander Hidma), both with ₹8 lakh bounties.
The group included nine women and three couples. They said they left because they'd lost faith in Maoist ideology, were upset about violence against tribals, and fed up with internal conflicts.
Each received ₹50,000 as immediate help and are now being rehabilitated under the state's policy—officials say these surrenders show Maoist power is fading fast in the region.