50 Naxalites surrender to security forces in Chhattisgarh

New Delhi, March 31

50 Naxalites, including 14 with a cash reward of Rs 68 lakhs on their heads, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district.

The surrender comes hours ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state. He will lay the foundation stone, initiate the commencement of work and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects of more than Rs 33,700 crore.

They laid down arms in front of senior officials of the state police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), he added.

The Chhattsigarh police informed of the 50 who surrendered, six carry rewards of Rs 8 lakh each, which three have bounties of Rs 5 lakh each. Five have 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.

They will rehabilitated as per the government's policy for Naxalites leaving the movement and joining the mainstream, police added. 

A day before, security forces gunned down 18 Naxals, including 11 women, in twin encounters in Chhattisgarh's Sukma and Bijapur districts in the Bastar region.

134 Naxalites have been gunned down in separate encounters in the state so far this year. Of them, 118 were eliminated in the Bastar division.

In 2024, a total of 792 Naxalites had surrendered in Bastar region, comprising seven districts, as per police