Dantewada: Thirty-seven Naxalites, 27 of them collectively carried the bounty ₹65 lakh surrendered in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Sunday, police said.
The cadres, including 12 women, surrendered here before senior police and CRPF officials as part of the ‘Poona Margem’ (from rehabilitation to social reintegration) initiative, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai said.
The initiative launched by the Bastar Police emerges as a transformative way to bring lasting peace, dignity and comprehensive progress in the Bastar region, he said.
Key cadres Among those who surrendered are kumalias alias Mandavi, Geeta alias Lakshmi Maddam, Ranjan alias Soma Mandavi and Bhima alias Jahajji Kalmu. All bore a reward for them ₹8 crore each, the official said.
As per the government’s rehabilitation policy, immediate assistance will be provided to the cadres who have surrendered ₹50,000 each along with other facilities like skill development training, agricultural land etc., he said.
Inspired by the surrender and rehabilitation policies of the Center and the state government, more than 508 Maoists, 165 of whom carried bounty, have ended violence and joined the mainstream in Dantewada district in the last 20 months, the official said.
A large number of Maoists, from senior leaders to active cadres in their grassroots areas, have left the banned organisation, Rai said.
In the last 23 months, more than 2,200 Naxalites, including top cadres, have surrendered in Chhattisgarh, according to police.
The Center has decided to eliminate Naxalism from the country by March 2026.
