Latest news with #PoonaMargham
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Chhattisgarh: 66 Maoists surrender across five Bastar districts
As many as 66 Maoists, including 49 carrying a cumulative reward of ₹2.27 crore, surrendered in five districts of Chhattisgarh's Bastar division on Thursday, police officials said. Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P hands over a cheque to Maoists after their surrender, in Bijapur district, on Thursday. (PTI) Officials said 25 surrendered in Bijapur, 15 in Dantewada, 13 in Kanker, eight in Narayanpur, and five in Sukma; 27 of them were women. According to the police, the surrendered cadres cited growing disillusion with the Maoist ideology, atrocities committed by the group on innocent tribals, and deepening internal rifts within the banned outfit. Many also said they were inspired by the state government's 'Niyad Nellanar' (Your Good Village) scheme, aimed at development in remote tribal areas, along with the new surrender and rehabilitation policy, and the Bastar police's 'Poona Margham' initiative for social reintegration. In Bijapur, 23 of the 25 surrendered Maoists were carrying a collective bounty of ₹1.15 crore. Among them were Ramanna Irpa (37), a member of the Odisha State Committee and the Maoists' Special Zonal Committee, who carried a reward of ₹25 lakh, and his wife Rame Kalmu (30), a Platoon Party Committee Member (PPCM) with a bounty of ₹8 lakh. Others included Sukku Kalmu (38), Bablu Madvi (30), Kosi Madkam (28), and Reena Vanjam (28), each carrying rewards of ₹8 lakh. In Dantewada, five of the 15 who surrendered had a total bounty of ₹17 lakh. Among them were Budhram alias Lalu Kuhram, a divisional committee member with a bounty of ₹8 lakh, and his wife Kamli alias Moti Potawi, who carried a reward of ₹5 lakh. With this latest surrender, a total of 1,020 Maoists — 254 of them carrying rewards — have given up arms under the 'Lon Varratu' (Return to Your Home) campaign launched in June 2020. In Kanker, the 13 surrendered Maoists carried a combined reward of ₹62 lakh, according to superintendent of police Indira Kalyan Elesela. In Narayanpur, the eight who laid down arms had a total bounty of ₹33 lakh. One of them, Vatti Ganga alias Mukesh (44), who served as the Maoists' north bureau technical team in charge, carried a reward of ₹8 lakh. Each surrendered Maoist was given immediate assistance of ₹50,000 and will be rehabilitated under the provisions of the state government's surrender and reintegration policy.
Indian Express
5 days ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
66 Maoists, Rs 2.54 crore bounty, 5 districts and a single-day surrender in Bastar
As many as 66 Maoists, including 49 with a combined bounty of Rs 2.54 crore, surrendered before the police in five districts of Chhattisgarh's Bastar region on Thursday. With this, the total number of surrendered Maoists in the last 18 months, which saw an unprecedented number of anti-Maoist operations, rose to 1,570 — a significant increase when compared to the 2022-2023 period, when 813 had surrendered. Thursday's surrenders come amid a new initiative from the security forces, called 'Poona Margham', a Gondi term that means 'new path'. Under this initiative, the security forces will focus more on reaching out to families of Maoists for help in persuading them to surrender. The seniormost Maoist cadre to surrender on Thursday was 37-year-old Ramanna Irpa, alias Jagdish, alias Vikesh, who was a Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) member carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh. A resident of Basaguda in Bijapur district, Ramanna had been active for two decades and has at least 30 cases against him, including murders. On the effort that went into getting him to surrender, a police source said, 'We were trying to get him to surrender for three months. We had contacted his family and were persuading them to get him to surrender, and finally, he surrendered with his family's help.' Giving credit to the Poona Margham initiative for the large number of surrenders on Thursday, Inspector General of Police for Bastar range, Sundarraj P, said, 'Our repeated appeals to Maoist cadres to give up violence and return to the mainstream are showing encouraging results. The surrender of 66 cadres, including a state-level committee member, across five districts in a single day is a strong indication that the Naxal outfit is approaching its end.' Bijapur SP Jitendra Yadav said, 'With the establishment of new security camps in interior regions and improved access to roads, transport, drinking water, electricity, and other public welfare schemes, development is now reaching the remotest villages. Widespread disillusionment with Maoist ideology, increasing internal conflicts within the outfit, and a strong desire to live a peaceful and secure family life are among the primary reasons behind these surrenders.' While surrendering with weapons makes the cadres eligible for cash rewards, a senior officer said none of the 66 had done so. 'None of them surrendered with weapons. They never surrender with weapons as they fear their families will be targeted by Maoists, which has happened in the past,' the officer said. The surrendered cadres include one DKSZC member, four divisional committee members, 10 People's Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) cadres, 15 area committee members, seven local organisation squad members, and 29 other rank cadres.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
66 Maoists carrying cash bounty of Rs 2.31cr surrender in Chhattisgarh
RAIPUR: As many as 66 Maoists, including 49 top rank cadres carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 2.31crore, on Thursday surrendered before police and paramilitary officials across five districts of Chhattisgarh's Bastar division. There were four women Maoists among those who surrendered. About 1,570 Maoists have renounced violence and surrendered in the past 18 months. Most of the top-ranking Maoists who surrendered were from Bijapur district. These cadres include state zonal committee member (SZCM) Ramanna Irpa, carrying cash bounty of Rs 25 lakh. He surrendered along with 24 others. They carried a total bounty of Rs 1.15 crore. "Maoists, with a bounty of Rs 2.31crore, have surrendered in Bastar division under the 'Poona Margham' (rehabilitation and social integration) campaign," Bastar range IGP P Sundarraj said. Ramanna alias Jagdish alias Vikesh, a 37-year-old SZCM from Bijapur, was considered the "nerve centre" of Maoist operations in the Red Corridor linking Malkangiri in Odisha, Sukma, and Bijapur in Chhattisgarh. He was active since 2002 and commanded company number 8. Ramanna oversaw jungle warfare training, arms procurement, and coordinated major attacks on security forces across Odisha and Chhattisgarh and was involved in at least 40 incidents of violence. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo "I joined the Maoist organisation inspired by the 'Jal-Jungle-Jameen' campaign. But, in the past 25 years, promises that the organisations made were never met and no development done. It's a hollow ideology," Ramanna told mediapersons in Bijapur. "This transformation is not a coincidence, but a clear testament to the widespread acceptance of our govt's surrender and rehabilitation policy and welfare-oriented initiatives. Programmes like the Niyad Nellanar Yojana have laid a strong foundation of trust in tribal-dominated regions," Chhattisgarh CM Vishnu Deo Sai said. In Dantewada district, 15 Maoists surrendered, including five carrying a total reward of Rs 17lakh. Budhram alias Lalu - a DVCM -- and his wife Kamli alias Moti Potavi, an area committee member, topped the list, with bounties of Rs 8lakh and Rs 5lakh, respectively. The duo was associated with the movement for over two decades. Another major surrender unfolded in Kanker district with 13 Maoists, carrying a combined bounty of Rs 62lakh. The most high-profile among them was Manglu alias Rupesh alias Arun Komra, a military company number one commander, wanted for a series of deadly ambushes between 2006 and 2024. He carried a bounty of Rs 10lakh.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Time of India
'Poona Margham': From guns to growth, 1,400 former Maoists embrace peace in Chhattisgarh's Bastar
RAIPUR: In the deep forests of Bastar, once synonymous with gunfire, ambushes, and shadowy Maoist hideouts, a quiet revolution is taking shape. It's not being fought with rifles, but with hope, skill, and second chances. And at the heart of this transformation lies 'Poona Margham' (New Path), a grassroots rehabilitation campaign that's helping former insurgents find their way back to society. Launched across all seven Maoist-affected districts of the Bastar Range, 'Poona Margham: 'Rehabilitation for Social Reintegration' has seen an unprecedented 1,400 Maoists surrender and rejoin the mainstream in just 18 months, making it one of India's most significant peacebuilding efforts in recent memory. Bastar IG P Sundarraj said, 'Poona Margham is more than laying down arms. It's about picking up life again.' Poona Margham offers a genuine opportunity for former cadres, many of them young men and women radicalized in their teens, to reclaim their identities, reconnect with families, and lead lives of dignity and self-reliance, Bastar police said. From PLGA to Plough: Changing Roles, Changing Lives In districts like Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada, where red flags once marked Maoist strongholds, young people are now seen welding machines in training centres, growing vegetables in community gardens, or attending tailoring classes at newly built skill hubs. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Successful Way of Intraday Trading is "Market Profile" TradeWise Learn More Undo Take Rahul, for instance — once a PLGA platoon member responsible for carrying out ambushes on CRPF convoys. Today, he runs a small motorbike repair shop in Narayanpur and helps the local administration identify vulnerable youth at risk of radicalisation. 'The gun only gave me fear. This wrench gives me freedom,' he says, tightening the bolt on a customer's wheel. Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, P Sundarraj, who has been instrumental in shaping Poona Margham, describes the initiative not just as a security measure but as 'a moral mission.' 'Poona Margham is about more than laying down arms. It's about picking up life again. It shows that positive change is not only possible, it is happening, here and now,' he says. 'The Maoist ideology has become directionless. Today, those who once spread fear are helping us build roads, schools, and even peace committees.' IG said. Under the government's Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy 2025, all former Maoists are offered skill development training in trades like carpentry, electrical work, agriculture, animal husbandry, financial assistance for starting small businesses, psychological counselling and social reintegration support and secure housing and access to health services.
Indian Express
22-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
In fight against Maoists, Bastar police try a new approach – reaching out to their families
Holding village outreach programmes, reaching out to existing Maoist cadres through their families and persuading them to lay down their arms – that's what the Bastar Police plans to do with its new initiative 'Poona Margham'. Translated as 'New Path', the outreach comes as part of the state government's anti-insurgency push to meet the central government's March 2026 push against the Maoist movement. It also comes months after the state government introduced the 'Naxal Surrender and Victim Rehabilitation Policy-2025'. According to the police, the campaign aims at having security forces – especially surrendered Maoists recruited into the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Bastar Fighters – reach out to families of existing cadres and persuade them to 'shun violence and join the mainstream'. 'Poona Margham is an initiative in which we will emphasise on reaching out to Maoists and facilitate their surrender and reintegration into society,' Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range Sundarraj P told The Indian Express. 'We will be conducting various community outreach programmes, meeting the family of the existing Maoist cadres and village elders to highlight the need for peace for the region's inclusive development.' The initiative also promises skill development training, promoting self-employment and livelihood opportunities and providing psychological counselling and social reintegration to surrendered Maoists. Other measures under the campaign include continuing outreach measures such as medical camps, holding sporting activities and cultural reintegration programmes. 'The campaign is to make the cadres realise that the Maoist outfit is breathing its last and that, now, they are left with only one option — shun violence and join mainstream. They are urged to understand their responsibilities toward their families, society, and nation, and adopt the path of peace, harmony, and rehabilitation,' Sundarraj P said. Counter-insurgency operations in Chhattisgarh have intensified significantly since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in the state in December 2023. Since then, over 400 Maoists have been killed in the state – 221 in this year alone. Meanwhile, 38 security personnel and 97 civilians have also been killed in Naxal violence during the same period.
