Bastar (Chhattisgarh) [India], November 8 (HBTV): In a major breakthrough in Chhattisgarh’s anti-Naxal operations, 21 Naxalites, including 13 women, surrendered before the Bastar Police, marking another success in the government’s ‘Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy’.
Bastar Inspector General P Sundarraj stated on Wednesday that the Naxalites have two options — ‘surrender or face combat’. He said, ‘On October 26, a total of 21 Maoists surrendered their weapons and joined the mainstream. Keshkal Division Committee Secretary Mukesh, along with 13 women and 8 men, surrendered with 18 weapons. The administration is providing them all necessary assistance for rehabilitation.’
Earlier, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that the ‘backbone of Naxalism is broken’ following the surrender. Calling it a success of the government’s rehabilitation initiatives, he said that the ‘misled youth is now choosing the path of development’.
In an X post, CM Sai wrote, ‘The end of the anti-people Maoist ideology through Puna Margem, establishment of peace in Bastar. Today, in Kanker district, under the Puna Margem – From Rehabilitation to Revival initiative, 21 Naxalites have abandoned the path of violence and surrendered. This is a meaningful testament to the success of our Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy – 2025 and the Niyad Nella Nar Scheme, which is fostering a new wave of trust and transformation in Naxal-affected areas.’
He reiterated the government’s goal to make India Naxal-free by March 31, 2026.
Meanwhile, the 74th Battalion of the CRPF paid final respects to its K-9 unit dog, ‘Ego’, who died of kidney disease while on duty. The dog had played a crucial role in detecting several IEDs during anti-Naxal operations and was given a farewell with full military honours at the Doranpal headquarters.
(ANI)