By A Correspondent

Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh): In the largest-ever single-day surrender in Chhattisgarh, as many as 208 Maoist cadres, including 110 women, laid down arms at the Reserve Police Line here in Bastar district on Oct. 17, 2025, dealing a major blow to the CPI (Maoist) movement in the state’s insurgency-hit heartland.

Led by senior Maoist commander Rupesh, the surrendering cadres turned in 153 weapons, including AK-47 rifles, INSAS rifles, SLRs, Barrel Grenade Launchers (BGLs), and other arms.

The mass surrender, officials said, is a decisive milestone in dismantling the Maoist strongholds across the Dandakaranya region, one of India’s most prolonged theatres of Left-Wing Extremism.

The event, organised under the government’s ‘Puna Margem’ (New Path) rehabilitation programme, symbolised the rebels’ return to mainstream society.

Each cadre was given a copy of the Indian Constitution and a rose during the ceremony. The originally planned presence of the state’s Chief Minister, Vishnu Deo Sai, at the surrender event was cancelled, though he is expected to address a press briefing in Jagdalpur later in the day.

Chhattisgarh police officials said the surrender reflects the success of the state’s multi-pronged strategy combining security, development, and dialogue.

“This decisive development is the outcome of sustained efforts by police, security forces, local administration, and conscious civil society. Peace and development have inspired many Maoist cadres to return to a dignified life,” they stated.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the event as a “landmark day” in India’s battle against Left-Wing Extremism. “North Bastar and Abujhmad are now Naxal-free. I commend all those who restored their faith in the Indian Constitution,” Shah said, calling it a testament to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mission to eradicate Naxalism from the country.

Vishnu Deo Sai termed the surrender “a historical success” and the beginning of “a new era of peace and development in Bastar.”

Chhattisgarh Director General of Police Arun Dev Gautam added that those who returned would become “ambassadors of peace, development, and trust in Bastar.”

The weapons surrendered included 19 AK-47 rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, 17 SLRs, 11 BGLs, and 41 single-shot firearms, among others.

The massive surrender signals a turning point in India’s decades-long fight against Naxal insurgency, as the Red Corridor continues to shrink under sustained counter-insurgency and development initiatives.

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