103 Maoists surrender in Chhattisgarh, receive Rs.50,000 each under rehabilitation scheme

Lured by development and state rehab schemes, 103 Maoists lay down arms in Bastar’s Bijapur

October 2, 2025

Record surrender in Chhattisgarh as Maoist cadres turn themselves in, receive Rs.50,000 under rehab plan

In a significant development in the fight against Left-wing extremism, 103 Maoists, including 22 women, surrendered before authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on Thursday. Among them, 49 individuals were carrying a collective bounty of over Rs.1 crore. The surrender took place in the presence of senior police officials and members of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

According to Bijapur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Kumar Yadav, the surrendered cadres cited growing disillusionment with the CPI (Maoist) ideology and internal rifts within the organization. The police said many were also influenced by increasing development efforts in the Bastar region and by various government initiatives aimed at rehabilitating former insurgents.

Officials said that the surrender was likely one of the largest single-day mass desertions by Maoists in the state’s history. Each surrendered individual received immediate rehabilitation assistance of ₹50,000, and they will be further supported under the state’s comprehensive surrender and reintegration policy.

Among the high-profile surrenders were:

Lachhu Punem alias Santosh (36) – divisional committee member
Guddu Farsa (30), Bhima Sodhi (45), Hidme Farsa (26), and Sukhmati Oyam (27) – all members of the platoon party committee

Each of these five had a reward of Rs.8 lakh on their heads. Additionally:

4 Maoists carried rewards of Rs.5 lakh each
15 had bounties of Rs.2 lakh each
10 carried rewards of Rs.1 lakh
12 had Rs.50,000 bounties
3 had rewards of Rs.10,000

Police said the Maoists were particularly motivated by state initiatives like “Poona Margem” — a Bastar police program for social reintegration, and “Niyad Nellanar” (Your Good Village), a development scheme for remote tribal regions. The state’s updated surrender and rehabilitation policy also played a key role in encouraging the insurgents to give up arms.

The Superintendent of Police noted that many of those surrendering belonged to the Revolutionary Party Committee (RPC) wing of the Maoists, which has seen a sharp decline in recent months following the deaths and arrests of several senior leaders. This growing wave of surrenders indicates a weakening of Maoist influence in the region.

So far in 2025, a total of 410 Maoists have surrendered in Bijapur, while 421 others have been arrested. The police expressed optimism that the trend will continue and called on remaining Maoist members to abandon violence and rejoin mainstream society.

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