Ahead of PM Modi's visit, 50 Maoists lay down arms in Chhattisgarh

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, 50 Maoists have renounced their insurgent activities and chosen to reintegrate into society, marking a significant triumph for the ongoing anti-naxal drive and "Lon Varratu (Come Back Home)" campaign by Central and state governments.

This operation adds a significant chapter to the relentless campaign against Maoism in the region, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah declaring that the country shall be Naxal-free by next year.

This comes just ahead of Prime Minister Modi's schedule to address a massive public gathering in Bilaspur on Sunday. The PM will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of various projects worth Rs 33,700 crore, spanning energy, transportation, education, and housing sectors.

These individuals, collectively bearing a bounty of Rs 68 lakh, formally surrendered at the Bijapur Superintendent of Police (SP) office before senior officials, including the Deputy Inspector General of Police and representatives of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

Many of these Maoists were reportedly involved in activities such as road sabotage, disseminating Naxal propaganda through posters and banners, and conducting recce for their leaders in Bijapur and surrounding areas, officials said.

The Lon Varratu initiative, led by senior police officers and bolstered by the Chhattisgarh government’s Rehabilitation Policy, seeks to reintegrate Maoists into mainstream society by encouraging them to abandon violence and exploitation, thereby fostering peace and addressing the suffering of local tribal communities.

This recent surrender follows a similar event on March 29, when 15 Maoists in Dantewada district pledged to join the mainstream. The campaign, extensively promoted in villages by the District Police Force and CRPF, has successfully inspired numerous Maoists, including hardcore Maoist leaders, to lay down arms and embrace a peaceful existence.

The surrendered individuals will benefit from the Chhattisgarh government’s comprehensive rehabilitation measures, which include financial aid of Rs 25,000, skill development training, agricultural land, and other support systems.

The newly introduced 'Naxal Surrender/Victim Relief and Rehabilitation Policy-2025' further enhances these benefits, offering increased compensation, job opportunities, land, and free education for victims of Maoist violence. Surrendered Maoists also receive incentives for weapon surrender and legal assistance.

Since its inception, the Lon Varratu campaign has facilitated the surrender of 927 Maoists, including 221 with bounties on their heads, officials said. This milestone underscores the campaign’s efficacy in fostering regional peace and security while providing a pathway for former insurgents to rebuild their lives and contribute positively to society.

The RFT (Intelligence Branch) Dantewada, along with the 111th, 195th, 230th, and 231st Battalions of the CRPF, played a pivotal role in facilitating these surrenders.

Meanwhile, security forces have intensified anti-Maoist operations in the region. On March 29, seventeen Maoists were neutralised, with 16 bodies recovered during encounters.

On March 25, security forces neutralised three Maoists in a fierce gunfight near the Dantewada-Bijapur border. This encounter, reportedly occurring along the banks of the Indravati River, represents another significant success in the ongoing battle against extremism. Four days prior, security forces eliminated 30 Maoists in two separate encounters -- 26 near the Dantewada-Bijapur border and four in Kanker.

The operations, however, were not without loss. A courageous soldier from the District Reserve Guard sacrificed his life, while two others, including a deputy superintendent of police, sustained severe injuries. Both injured personnel are now out of danger.

In a separate incident, Maoists detonated an improvised explosive device, targeting a vehicle carrying security personnel. The blast narrowly missed its target, occurring moments after the vehicle passed through the area in the Bijapur district. Two jawans and the civilian driver suffered minor injuries from the shockwaves.

These operations form part of a broader campaign to dismantle Maoist activities in Chhattisgarh.

On Friday (March 28), security forces apprehended five Maoists, including two women, in the Geedam police station area of South Bastar Dantewada district. These individuals were allegedly planning to plant improvised explosive devices (IEDs) targeting security personnel.

In a decisive success for the security forces, Jagdish alias Budhra -- a notorious Maoist operative implicated in the deadly Jhiram IED blast -- was eliminated early on Saturday (March 29) morning in a major operation along the Sukma-Dantewada border in Chhattisgarh.

Jagdish, long sought by authorities, was notably involved in the Darbha Valley Jhiram blast of 2013, an atrocity that claimed the lives of prominent Chhattisgarh leaders such as Mahendra Karma, Vidya Charan Shukla, and Nand Kumar Patel. This encounter, executed on Saturday morning, was a joint operation by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Upampalli, under the jurisdiction of the Keralapal police station.

During this engagement, 17 Maoists were killed -- among them 11 women -- with Jagdish, a Special Zonal Committee Member of the Maoist organisation, being the principal target.

Just days earlier, on March 25, security forces had similarly neutralised three Maoists, including Sudhir alias Sudhakar, who had a bounty of Rs 25 lakh on his head. His elimination is viewed by officials as a critical step in dismantling the entrenched leadership of the Maoist movement.

To date, security forces have conducted 11 operations in 2025 alone, neutralising a total of 142 Maoists so far. Among these efforts, notable successes include the elimination of 31 Maoists on February 9 and 16 on March 25, with actions spanning districts such as Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, and Narayanpur.

In the Bastar region alone, 100 Maoists have been neutralised this year, with 49 being eliminated within a brief span from March 20 to March 29. These coordinated operations exemplify the determination of the security forces to curtail extremism and restore peace to the region.