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In a major victory for security forces, 50 Maoists surrendered just days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bilaspur.
Their decision strengthens the government’s anti-Naxal drive and the ‘Lon Varratu (Come Back Home)’ initiative, which encourages Maoists to abandon violence.
Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reaffirmed the government’s goal to make India Naxal-free by next year.
The surrender comes ahead of PM Modi’s scheduled public gathering on Sunday, where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for projects worth ₹33,700 crore across energy, transportation, education, and housing sectors.
Officials confirmed that the surrendered Maoists, who carried a total bounty of ₹68 lakh, formally gave up arms at the Bijapur Superintendent of Police’s office.
Senior officers, including the Deputy Inspector General of Police and CRPF representatives, witnessed the surrender.
Many of these insurgents had engaged in road sabotage, Naxal propaganda, and intelligence gathering for Maoist leaders.
Significantly, the Lon Varratu initiative and the Chhattisgarh government’s rehabilitation policies have played a key role in these surrenders.
The new ‘Naxal Surrender/Victim Relief and Rehabilitation Policy-2025’ offers financial aid, jobs, agricultural land, and legal assistance to surrendered Maoists.
Just days earlier, on March 29, 15 Maoists surrendered in Dantewada, reinforcing the trend of insurgents abandoning their movement.
Since the campaign began, 927 Maoists, including 221 with bounties, have surrendered.
The CRPF and Intelligence Branch Dantewada have played a crucial role in these efforts.
Security Forces Intensify Anti-Maoist Operations
Meanwhile, security forces have escalated operations against Maoist insurgents.
On March 29, they killed 17 Maoists, recovering 16 bodies.
Earlier, on March 25, they eliminated three Maoists near the Dantewada-Bijapur border.
Days before that, they neutralized 30 Maoists in separate encounters.
However, these operations have come at a cost.
A District Reserve Guard soldier lost his life, while two others, including a deputy superintendent of police, sustained serious injuries.
In a separate incident, Maoists triggered an IED blast in Bijapur, injuring two security personnel and a civilian driver.
In another breakthrough, security forces arrested five Maoists in Dantewada on March 28, preventing an IED attack.
Additionally, in a significant operation on March 29, security forces eliminated Jagdish alias Budhra, a key figure behind the deadly 2013 Jhiram blast.
So far in 2025, security forces have launched 11 operations, killing 142 Maoists.
In the Bastar region alone, they have neutralized 100 insurgents this year, including 49 between March 20 and March 29.
These continuous operations reflect the government’s determination to end Maoist violence and restore peace in Chhattisgarh.
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