A total of 176 Maoists have so far quit the violence in the district (Representational)
A total of 43 Maoists, including nine women cadres, surrendered before the police in Chhattisgarh's worst Maoist-hit Sukma district on Wednesday, an officer said.
The 43 cadres belonging to ten villages of the Sukma district turned themselves in before senior police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials in Sukma town citing disappointment with “inhuman” and “hollow” Maoist ideology, Sukma senior police officer Sunil Sharma told PTI.
Podiami Lakshman, a militia commander carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, was among those who surrendered before the police.
The remaining Maoists were active as members of the militia and Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangthan (DAKMS), Krantikari Mahila Adivasi Sangthan (KAMS), Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM)- all the frontal wings of Maoists, in different areas of the south Bastar, he said.
The senior officer said the surrendered Maoists were also "impressed" by the district police's rehabilitation drive for Maoists called 'Puna Narkom' (a term coined in local Gondi dialect which means New Dawn).
The surrendered Maoists will be provided with facilities as per the Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy of the Chhattisgarh government.
With the latest surrender, a total of 176 Maoists have so far quit the violence in the district under the 'Puna Narkom' campaign launched in August this year, he said.