11 MAOISTS SURRENDER IN MAHARASHTRA’S GADCHIROLI

Eleven Maoist commanders and cadres, carrying a cumulative bounty of ₹82 lakh on their heads, surrendered in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli on Wednesday in the presence of state police chief Rashmi Shukla under tight security. Four of the Maoists were armed and in uniform.

Maoist divisional committee members Ramesh alias Baju Lekami and Bhima alias Kiran Hidma Kowasi were among those who surrendered. Police said the surrender is a major blow to Maoists in Dandakaranya, spanning Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Telangana, and one of the biggest successes for Gadchiroli police since Bhupathi alias Mallojula Venugopal Rao, a Maoist Politburo member, surrendered before chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on October 15, along with 60 others.

Shuka said the fresh surrenders is the beginning of the end of Maoism in Gadchiroli. “We are committed to the Union government’s deadline of March 31, 2026, to eliminate the menace from India,” said Shukla. She added that over 100 Maoists have surrendered in Gadchiroli this year.

The surrenders came amid heightened anti-Maoist operations ahead of the Union government deadline for ending the Left-wing insurgency. Security forces have killed over 270 Maoists over the past year in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.

Over 1,225 Maoists have surrendered, and 680, including top leaders, have been arrested. The killing of Maoist chief Nambala Kesava Rao, alias Basavaraju, on May 20 marked the most significant success against the Left-wing insurgency in years.

The Union government has said that the number of Left-Wing insurgency-hit districts has fallen to 11, from 18 in April.

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2025-12-10T09:36:12Z