Sukma (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 27 (ANI): In a major success for the Chhattisgarh government’s anti-Naxal campaign, 18 Naxals, including four members of the dreaded Battalion No. 1, surrendered before the police in Sukma district on Tuesday. According to officials, the surrender took place under the influence of the state government’s rehabilitation initiative, Niyad Nellanar.
The surrender marks a significant boost to ongoing efforts in South Bastar, a region long afflicted by Naxal violence. Among the 18 individuals who surrendered, several were reported to be active in four different Naxal battalions, police said.
While addressing the media, Sukma Superintendent of Police Kiran G Chavan stated, “Influenced by the ‘Niyad Nellanar’ scheme, 18 Naxals have surrendered today. Four Naxalites are associated with Battalion No. 1. Naxalites belonging to four battalions have surrendered. Naxalites active in South Bastar have also surrendered.”
The SP further assured that the surrendered militants would receive full support and benefits under the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy. “As they have surrendered, they will get all the benefits of the schemes functioning under the state government… I appeal to all Naxals to surrender,” Chavan added.
This development follows a major anti-Naxal operation last week in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district, where security forces successfully neutralized 27 Naxals, including top CPI (Maoist) leader and General Secretary Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju.
Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) P Sundarraj said the banned organization had received training and technological support from multiple militant and insurgent groups. “Basavaraju was the General Secretary of CPI (Maoists) and headed its military commission. He played a key role in planning and executing the group’s violent operations,” IG Sundarraj said.
He added that Naxalites received training from various insurgent groups, and even the LTTE had been linked in sharing certain technologies. “The banned and illegal Naxal organization always harbored a destructive mindset—deploying IEDs, ambushes, or direct attacks on security force camps. These actions have harmed both security personnel and local villagers,” he noted.
“With Basavaraju gone, the organization has suffered a substantial blow in terms of leadership, military capabilities, and territorial control. We hope that Naxalism will soon be eradicated from this area and across the country,” Sundarraj added.
(ANI)
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