14 with 68L reward among 50 Maoists surrender in Bijapur

Raipur: Fifty Maoists including 14 with a cumulative reward of Rs 68 lakh on their heads, surrendered before CRPF and police in insurgency-hit Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh on Sunday.

The surrender was announced minutes before Prime Minister Narendra Modi was set to arrive at the Raipur airport for his visit.

Citing ‘hollow' ideologies of Maoists and exploitation of tribals by senior cadres, the cadres decided to surrender, police said, adding that the Maoists said that they were impressed by security forces setting up camps.

"Six out of 50 surrendered Maoists carry rewards of Rs 8 lakh each, and three carried bounties of Rs 5 lakh each and five of them had rewards of Rs 1 lakh each on their heads. The District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, Special Task Force (STF), CRPF and its elite unit CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) played a key role in their surrender," Bijapur SP Jitendra Yadav said. They will rehabilitated as per the govt's policy for Naxalites leaving the movement and joining the mainstream, the SP added.Over 134 Naxalites have been killed in encounters this year.

Taking to the social media platform X, Amit Shah appealed to other Naxals , saying, "I once again urge those still involved to give up their weapons and join the mainstream. By March 31, 2026, Naxalism will be history in our country — this is our commitment."