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Jagdalpur, Oct 17 (IANS) In a historic incident that dealt a serious blow to militancy in Chhattisgarh, 208 Naxalites from the remote Maad region on Friday formally surrendered before Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma attended the event virtually at the Reserve Police Lines in Jagdalpur in Bastar district.
Former rebels, many of whom had been active in the forests of Dandakaranya for years, arrived carrying copies of the Indian Constitution, symbolizing their commitment to democratic values, and banners proclaiming ‘Puna Margame’ – a new life through rehabilitation. The group held a significant cache of 153 weapons, which included 19 AK-47 rifles, 17 SLR rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, one INSAS light machine gun, 36 .303 rifles, four carbines, 11 barrel grenade launchers, 41 12-bore or single-shot weapons and one pistol.
The mass surrender involved 110 women and 98 men, including one Central Committee Member (CCM), four Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) members, one Regional Committee Member, 21 Divisional Committee Members (DVCM), 61 Area Committee Members (ACM), 98 lower level cadres and 22 People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) or Revolutionary People’s Council. Like high ranking cadre are included. (RPC). Among the key figures, Rupesh, also known as Satish or Asanna, is the North-West sub-zonal in-charge and a senior commander in the North-West Sub-Zonal Bureau of the CPI (Maoist).
Rupesh, described as the intelligence chief of the Maoist military wing and a notorious bomb maker (full name Takkalapalli Vasudeva Rao, aged 59), reached the Bijapur police headquarters on Thursday evening along with his associates for preliminary surrender.
Rupesh’s defection, along with others like Ranita, the woman commander of the Maad division, represents a major disruption in the Maoist command structure in the region.
Chief Minister Sai described the surrender as a turning point in Bastar’s fight against insurgency and emphasized that the real strength of the region lies in the self-reliance, education and respect of its people.
“Our governance model rooted in these values is now bringing hope and change to the heart of Dandakaranya,” he said.
The Chief Minister further said that North Bastar and Abujhmad have been declared completely free from Naxalism, symbolizing the shift from violence to hope.
In the last 22 months under the BJP government, 477 Naxalites have been killed, 1,785 arrested, and 2,110 have surrendered, underscoring the state’s progress towards a Naxal-free Chhattisgarh by March 31, 2026.
–IANS
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