Fifty Maoists, including 14 with hefty bounties, surrendered in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, just before PM Modi’s arrival in Raipur. This mass surrender follows the killing of 17 Maoists by security forces in Sukma, raising the year’s toll to 134. The surrendered rebels cited disillusionment with Maoist ideologies and exploitation by senior cadres.
Fifty Maoists, including 14 carrying cumulative bounties of Rs 68 lakh, surrendered in insurgency-hit Bijapur in Chhattisgarh Sunday, minutes before PM Modi was to arrive at Raipur airport to launch projects worth thousands of crores. The mass surrender comes a day after security forces gunned down 17 Maoists in Sukma, taking the Naxal toll this year to 134. As many as 256 Maoists have surrendered in 90 days this year, 157 of them (62%) in Bijapur. According to police, the surrendered Maoists said they quit the outfit because of its “hollow ideologies” and exploitation of tribals by senior cadres. Also, they were impressed by how security forces are setting up camps, clearing the path for development said police.
