'21 Maoists surrendered in Chhattisgarh', Amit Shah vows to eradicate menace by March 26

Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Monday that 21 Maoists, including 13 senior cadres, have surrendered along with their weapons in Chhattisgarh, reaffirming the government’s commitment to eliminate Naxalism by March 2026.

“Glad to share that 21 Maoists have surrendered along with their arms in Kanker district, Chhattisgarh. Out of them, 13 were senior cadres,” Shah wrote on X.

The surrendering group handed over 18 weapons.

The cadres laid down their arms under the ‘Poona Margem: Rehabilitation through Reintegration’ initiative implemented by the Bastar Range police.

The 21 individuals belonged to the Kuemari/Kiskodo Area Committee of the Keshkal Division (North Sub-Zonal Bureau) of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Their ranks within the organisation included four divisional committee members, nine area committee members, and eight members from the movement’s lower echelons. Officials view the surrender as a significant victory for the state’s counter-insurgency efforts.

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Officials stated that they surrendered three AK-47s, two INSAS rifles, four SLRs, six .303 rifles, two single-shot rifles, and a Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL).

Earlier, on October 17, a total of 210 Naxalites—including Central Committee member Rupesh, also known as Satish, who had a combined bounty of Rs 9.18 crore—had surrendered in Jagdalpur, Bastar district, handing over 153 weapons in the process.