IN a major breakthrough on the anti-Naxal front, the entire Udanti Area Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist) has surrendered before the Gariaband Police, marking a historic success in Chhattisgarh’s campaign against Left Wing Extremism. Seven hardcore Maoists, carrying a collective bounty of Rs 37 lakh, laid down their arms before the police. Among them are senior functionaries of the outfit who also handed over six sophisticated weapons, including INSAS and SLR rifles.

 

Those who surrendered include Sunil alias Jagtar Singh, Divisional Committee Member with a reward of Rs 8 lakh; Arina Tekam alias Sugro, Area Committee Secretary with a reward of Rs 8 lakh; Vidya alias Jamli, Deputy Commander with a reward of Rs 5 lakh and an INSAS rifle; Ludro alias Anil, Member with a reward of Rs 5 lakh and an SLR rifle; Nandini, Member with a reward of Rs 5 lakh and a single-shot weapon; Kanti, Member with a reward of Rs 5 lakh and an INSAS rifle; and Malesh, Party Member with a reward of Rs 1 lakh and an INSAS rifle.

 

It needs to be mentioned here that the Udanti Area Committee of the banned outfit had long been active along the Gariaband–Odisha border and was involved in several major incidents of violence. These include the May 2018 IED blast targeting police near

 

Amamora public darshan camp in which two troopers were martyred; the August 2021 blast and damage to government property in Devjharamali; the January 2022 firing on police in the Devdongar area injuring one trooper; and multiple encounters in 2023–24 in Karlajhar, Besrajhar, Gariba, Kandsar and Motipani where several Naxalites were neutralised.

 

The surrender is seen as a result of the State Government’s Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy and the sustained pressure campaigns by the Gariaband Police, CRPF and CoBRA forces. The surrendered Maoists said they decided to abandon the path of violence after witnessing the impact of government welfare schemes and the positive transformation in the lives of their surrendered comrades.

 

“We wandered from place to place in the forests, but seeing the government schemes and the happy lives of our surrendered comrades, we realised the right path lies in society’s mainstream,” they stated. Gariaband Police have appealed to all Maoists still active in the district to shun violence, take advantage of the surrender policy and join the process of social development.