Chhattisgarh: woman Naxalite with Rs 1 lakh bounty surrenders

A 27-year-old woman Naxalite carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on her head surrendered before security forces in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, police said.

The Naxalite, identified as Kumari Hemla, was working with the Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangathan (KAMS) under the Bhairamgarh Area Committee of the outlawed CPI (Maoist), said Dantewada Superintendent of Police Siddharth Tiwari.

She was carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on her head, the SP said.

Hemla was involved in the 2017 police-Naxalite skirmish and the 2018 gun-battle between security forces and Naxalites in which eight jawans were killed, he said. Hemla cited her disillusionment with the ''hollow'' and ''inhuman'' Naxalite ideology as the reason for surrender, he said.

So far, 567 Naxalites, including 143 who carried rewards on their heads, have quit violence in the Dantewada district under the 'Lon Varratu' ( 'return to your home/village' in Gondi) campaign launched by the police in June 2020, according to police.