News Brief
Maoists (Representative Image)
A female Maoist commander with a bounty of Rs 5 lakh on her head surrendered to police authorities in Chhattisgarh's Kondagaon district on Saturday (18 October), marking another significant victory for the government against the decades-long insurgency.
Geeta, alias Kamli Salam, who served as Tailor Team Commander in the East Bastar Division, turned herself in before Superintendent of Police Akshay Kumar, citing disillusionment with the movement and inspiration drawn from recent mass surrenders.
Her decision came just a day after 210 Maoist cadres, including one Central Committee member, surrendered before authorities in Jagdalpur on Friday, making it the largest mass surrender in the history of anti-Naxal operations in the state.
The Jagdalpur surrender saw 210 Maoists hand over 153 weapons, ranging from AK-47s to grenade launchers, with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai attending the event.
Geeta's surrender was reportedly influenced by intensified anti-Naxal operations, growing internal discord, and the symbolic gesture of rebels embracing the Indian Constitution during Friday's ceremony in Jagdalpur.
With 238 rebels surrendering over the past three days, including Friday's mass defection, the Bastar region is witnessing a rare moment of hope.
The wave of surrenders comes as Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly underlined the government's resolve to eradicate Naxalism, largely concentrated in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, by 31 March 2026.
On Thursday, Shah declared two worst-hit regions of Chhattisgarh, Abujhmarh and North Bastar, free from Naxal terror, signalling a decisive turning point in the state's fight against Left-Wing Extremism.