Mahasamund: Fifteen Naxalites, including veteran ultra Vikas, carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 73 lakh on their heads surrendered in Chhattisgarh’s Mahasamund district on Sunday, resulting in the outlawed movement getting dismantled in the Raipur-Sambalpur belt straddling the state’s border with Odisha, police officials said.
The surrendered persons, including nine women, belonged to Balangir-Bargarh-Mahasamund (BBM) division of the Communist Party of India (Maoists) active along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border, they said.
They laid down arms at the Mahasamund district headquarters here in the presence of Chhattisgarh Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Vivekanand Sinha, Inspector General of Police (Northern Range) Sambalpur (Odisha), Himanshu Lal, IGP (Rural Zone, Raipur) Amresh Mishra, among others, officials said.
With the surrender of these 15, the western sub-zone of the Odisha State Committee of Maoists has been completely dismantled, ADGP Sinha said at a press conference. The Odisha State Committee and the BBM division were formed after 2010.
“Until a year ago, the sub-zone comprised two divisions and seven area committees. Now, the Raipur Police Range in Chhattisgarh and the Sambalpur Range in Odisha have become fully free of Naxal influence. This is a significant event towards the complete elimination of Naxalism by March 2026,” Sinha said.
Police officials said continuous appeals were made to members of the BBM divisional committee.
active in Mahasamund’s border areas through various communication channels, including Akashvani broadcasts, banners, posters and pamphlets.
The state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, which offers financial incentives based on rank, additional rewards for surrendering with weapons, healthcare benefits, housing and employment support, was widely publicised as well to get the ultras back into the mainstream, they said.
These cadres decided to give up violence after becoming disillusioned with the hollow Maoist ideology, hardships of life in forests, and prolonged separation from their families, the officials said. They were also influenced by former Maoists who had surrendered earlier and were now leading stable lives under the rehabilitation scheme, police said.
Among those who surrendered, Vikas (57), also known as Sudarshan, Jangu, Babanna, Rajanna and Muppidi Sambaiah (57), is a native of Warangal district in Telangana, and was active in the outlawed movement since 1985, Sinha said.
He was part of the Telangana State Zonal Committee, had served for 10 years as secretary of the southern sub-zone of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) in Chhattisgarh, and was in charge of the Gadchiroli division (in Maharashtra) for two years, the official said.
