Eighty-six members of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) surrendered before the Telangana Police at the Bhadradri Kothagudem district police headquarters on Saturday, inspector general of police (multi-zone I) S Chandrasekhar Reddy said.
Among these 86 surrendered Maoists, 82 were from Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, and four belonged to Mulugu district. “They were all operating in the Bijapur forests of neighbouring Chhattisgarh district,” Reddy told reporters at Kothagudem.
This is the second such major incident of Maoists’ surrender this year in Telangana, after 64 of them surrendered last month before Bhadradri-Kothagudem police, he said, adding that a total of 224 Maoists of various cadres have surrendered this year.
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The surrendered Maoists included four area committee members, four party members, a militia commander, 27 militia members, eight committee members, 20 members of Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (DAKMS)/Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (KMS), 13 Chetana Natya Manch (CNM) members, and nine Grama Rakshaka Dalams (GRDs). There were 20 women among those who surrendered, police said.
Reddy added that the cadres surrendered after they became aware of the welfare measures being implemented by the state police department for the surrendered Maoists, as well as the development of welfare schemes for Adivasi people under the programme, “Operation Cheyutha”.
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“They were tired of their party leaders’ harassment and mounting pressure to extort money from villagers. The surrendered Maoists have expressed their desire to join the mainstream society,” the IG said.
He added that there were still 95 Maoists from Telangana working in various cadres. “We will hold peace talks with them as per the directions from the state and central governments,” he said.
He announced ₹5 lakh as compensation under the rehabilitation and resettlement programme to the surrendered area committee members, ₹1 lakh to Maoist party members, and ₹25,000 to others. He assured that all rehabilitation benefits offered by the government will be extended to them.
He appreciated the courage of the surrendered Maoists, particularly the women, for choosing a path of peace and development over violence.
