"If they all contribute together, Bastar will progress": Chhattisgarh DGP after 208 Naxalites surrender

Jagdalpur (Chhattisgarh) [India], October 17 (ANI): Following the surrender of 208 Naxalites at an event organised in Bastar, Chhattisgarh Director General of Police (DGP) Arun Deo Gautam on Friday emphasised the need for the surrendered Naxalites to contribute to the region's development actively.
Speaking to ANI on the occasion, Chhattisgarh DGP also highlighted the impact of Naxalite activities on local communities.
"The kind of appeal that Naxalite organisations have made for Bastar, and we have been doing it consistently, is that the youth were being misled that they were fighting for the people of Bastar. But they have realised that they weren't fighting for the people; they were harming them. Bastar hasn't developed in all these years. Now, if they all contribute together, Bastar will progress... It's not about tactics, now the foundation is gone," Chhattisgarh DGP said.
Earlier in the day, in a landmark development in Chhattisgarh's battle against Left Wing Extremism (LWE), 208 Naxalites surrendered at an event organised in Bastar's Jagdalpur, holding the Indian Constitution as they were welcomed back into the mainstream.
According to officials, the surrendered group includes 110 women and 98 men, representing various ranks of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) organisation. Among them are one Central Committee Member (CCM), four Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) members, one Regional Committee Member, 21 Divisional Committee Members (DVCMs), 61 Area Committee Members (ACMs), 98 Party Members, and 22 PLGA/RPC/other cadres.
Among the top Maoist leaders who laid down arms were Rupesh alias Satish (Central Committee Member), Bhaskar alias Rajman Mandavi (DKSZC Member), Ranita (DKSZC Member), Raju Salam (DKSZC Member), Dhannu Vetti alias Santu (DKSZC Member), and Ratan Elam (Regional Committee Member).
During the operation, the Maoists surrendered 153 weapons, including 19 AK-47 rifles, 17 SLR rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, one INSAS LMG, 36 .303 rifles, four carbines, 11 BGL launchers, 41 twelve-bore or single-shot guns, and one pistol.
The officials hailed the surrender as one of the most significant breakthroughs in recent years, saying it underscores the growing success of the government's Naxal Eradication and Rehabilitation Policy 2025, which combines development, dialogue, and trust-building measures to encourage militants to return to the mainstream.
With this, officials said, most of Abujhmad has been freed from Naxal influence, bringing an end to the decades-long Red terror in North Bastar."Only South Bastar now remains affected," the top government officials said.
Earlier on Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that 258 Naxalites had surrendered in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra over the past two days.
Describing the development as a "landmark day" in the country's battle against Naxalism, Shah said the menace is now "breathing its last."As per the Home Minister, 170 Naxalites surrendered in Chhattisgarh, while 27 had laid down arms in the same state a day earlier. Another 61 cadres surrendered in Maharashtra on Wednesday. (ANI)