Turning Tides: Six Naxalites Surrender in Gadchiroli

Six Naxalites, including three women, surrendered in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district. Citing the state's rehabilitation policy and distancing from Maoist violence, they laid down arms with a collective bounty of Rs 62 lakh. The surrender highlights the policy's success, with 716 Maoists surrendering in total.

In a significant development, six Naxalites with a cumulative bounty of Rs 62 lakh surrendered in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district. Among the individuals were three women, all of whom renounced the violent ideology propagated by the outlawed Maoist organization.

Authorities attribute this turn of events to the state's effective surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy. The desisting Naxalites, including Bhimanna, alias Sukhlal Muttayya Kulmethe, and his wife Vimalakka Sadmek, cited the mindless violence against civilians as a reason to abandon the Naxal cause.

Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla lauded the efforts of the C-60 anti-Naxal unit and reiterated her call for Maoists to embrace a peaceful life. The effectiveness of the surrender policy is evident, with 716 Maoists laying down arms over the past years.

(With inputs from agencies.)