(MENAFN- IANS) Jagdalpur, Oct 17 (IANS) In a landmark event signalling a severe setback to the insurgency in Chhattisgarh, 208 Naxalites from the remote Maad region formally surrendered on Friday before Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, who virtually participated in the programme at the Reserve Police Lines in Jagdalpur, Bastar district.

The former insurgents, many of whom had been active in the Dandakaranya forests for years, arrived holding copies of the Indian Constitution, symbolising their commitment to democratic values, with banners proclaiming 'Puna Margem' – a new life through rehabilitation. The group laid down a significant cache of 153 weapons, including 19 AK-47 rifles, 17 SLR rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, one INSAS light machine gun, 36.303 rifles, four carbines, 11 barrel grenade launchers, 41 12-bore or single-shot weapons, and one pistol.

This mass surrender includes 110 women and 98 men, comprising high-ranking cadres such as one Central Committee Member (CCM), four Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) members, one Regional Committee member, 21 Divisional Committee Members (DVCM), 61 Area Committee Members (ACM), 98 lower-level cadres, and 22 from the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) or Revolutionary People's Council (RPC). Among the key figures is Rupesh, also known as Satish or Asanna, the North-West Sub-Zonal In-charge and a senior commander in the CPI (Maoist) northwest sub-zonal bureau.

Rupesh, who has been described as the intelligence chief of the Maoist military wing and a notorious bombmaker (full name Takkalappalli Vasudeva Rao, aged 59), arrived with his comrades at the Bijapur police headquarters on Thursday evening for an initial surrender.

Rupesh's defection, along with others like woman commander Ranita from the Maad division, represents a major disruption to the Maoist command structure in the region.

Chief Minister Sai hailed the surrender as a turning point in Bastar's fight against extremism, emphasising that the region's true strength lies in its people's self-reliance, education, and dignity.

"Our governance model, rooted in these values, is now bringing hope and transformation to the heart of Dandakaranya," he stated.

The Chief Minister further noted that north Bastar and Abujhmad have been declared completely free from Naxalism, marking a shift from violence to hope.

Over the last 22 months under the BJP government, 477 Naxalites have been neutralised, 1,785 arrested, and 2,110 have surrendered, underscoring the state's progress toward a Naxal-free Chhattisgarh by March 31, 2026.

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