In a major breakthrough for law enforcement in Chhattisgarh, 71 Naxalites, including 21 women, surrendered to police and CRPF officials in Dantewada on Wednesday. Among those who laid down arms, 30 carried a collective bounty amounting to ₹64 lakh, reflecting the scale of the group’s previous activities. Officials have said they consider the surrender largely as a result of a growing disillusionment with the Maoist movement, as they now considered it desolate and hopeless.
The group surrendered included a 17-year-old boy and two minor girls – aged 17 and 16 – indicating their role in extremist activity for youth and the need to also make an emphasis on rehabilitation programs. Officials also indicated evolution and state-led initiatives, like ‘Lon Varratu’ and ‘Poona Margem’, played an important role in encouraging the Naxalites to surrender back to society. These systems have provided education, job preparations and reintegration into normal societal standards which have an immense sway towards surrendering.
Dantewada Superintendent of Police Gaurav Rai did say large surrenders like this may be considered an occasion for a major milestone in the State’s battle against Naxalism. The surrenders not only increases local security, but it is also a testament that the evolution of supplemented enforcing alongside rehabilitation is timely and on the right path. Officials indicated any continued trends in the rescue, rehabilitation and surrender processes could potentially result in the eventual new permanence resulting peace and normalization of communities universally affected for too long and provide development and opportunities to reintegrate communities long affected by violence and extremist activity.
