139 Maoists surrender in two days as government vows 'Naxal free Bharat'

Gadchiroli/Sukma/Kanker | The decades-long fight against Left Wing Extremism (LWE) reached a critical turning point this week as 139 Naxalite cadres laid down their arms across Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh in a massive two-day wave of surrenders.

The development, highlighted by the surrender of a top Maoist strategist with a Rs 6 crore bounty and 60 cadres in Gadchiroli district, was hailed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as "the beginning of the end of the Naxal movement" in the region.

The saga began on Tuesday in Gadchiroli district with the surrender of Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi, a senior Naxalite leader and influential strategist for the outlawed CPI (Maoist).

Bhupathi, who supervised platoon operations along the state border, formally surrendered with 60 cadres, bringing with them a significant cache of 54 weapons, including seven AK-47S and nine INSAS rifles.

Addressing the gathering, Fadnavis called the surrender a "big thing in the history of the country," stating it was the start of the end for Naxalism in Maharashtra.

He also expressed confidence that the entire "red corridor" in Chhattisgarh and Telangana would soon be Naxal-free.

Despite the major success, the Maharashtra Chief Minister cautioned security forces to remain "very alert for the next two years" against a possible final retaliatory attack.

Fadnavis promised proper rehabilitation for the surrendered Naxalites and highlighted major development plans for Gadchiroli, which he said is becoming a steel hub with investments of around Rs 3 lakh crore aimed at creating over one lakh local jobs.

He asked the remaining handful of Naxalites to surrender or face police action.

The remaining cadres, who are in Chhattisgarh, have also understood that they have lost the ideological war and that the dreams they were chasing were wrong. They have understood that only the Indian Constitution can ensure them justice, he said.

Adding a crucial element to rehabilitation, private firm Lloyds Metals and Energy Ltd (LMEL) announced it would train and employ surrendered Naxalites in the industrialising district.

Following the event in Maharashtra, Naxal-affected districts in Chhattisgarh reported three significant surrenders on Wednesday, involving 78 Maoist cadres.

In Kanker district, 50 cadres, including 32 women and key regional leaders like Rajman Mandavi and Raju Salam of the influential Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, surrendered before the Border Security Force (BSF), turning in weapons that included seven AK-47 rifles and an INSAS Light Machine Gun (LMG).

Separately, 27 cadres surrendered in Sukma before senior police and CRPF officials. Sixteen of these cadres carried a collective reward of Rs 50 lakh, including high-profile member Oyam Lakhmu (PLGA Battalion No. 1) with a Rs 10 lakh bounty.

The cadres across both states cited disillusionment with the "hollow" Maoist ideology, atrocities against innocent tribals, and the state government's new surrender and development schemes as their motivation for returning to the mainstream.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai stated that Naxalism was "collapsing on every front and is going through its final stage."

The Union Home Ministry hailed the surrenders as a "giant stride" toward the Modi government's vision of a "Naxal-free Bharat" and said the number of districts most affected by LWE has been dramatically reduced from six to just three -- Bijapur, Sukma, and Narayanpur, all located in Chhattisgarh.

The broader category of LWE-affected districts has also been cut from 18 to 11. These 11 districts now include seven in Chhattisgarh, along with one each in Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha.

The MHA highlighted record operational successes this year, wherein 312 LWE cadres have been eliminated, including the CPI (Maoist) General Secretary and eight other Polit Bureau/Central Committee Members.

As many as 1,639 LWE cadres have surrendered and joined the mainstream this year alone.

The government reiterated its firm commitment to completely eradicating the Naxal menace by March 31 next year.

Inside story of 'Bhupathi's' surrender: Police negotiate peace, not gunfight

Gadchiroli (Maharashtra) | A month of tense, back-channel negotiations led to the surrender of Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias 'Bhupathi,' a shadowy figure and key strategist who, as a founding member of the banned People's War Group, helped spread the Maoist movement across the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border for decades.

With a massive Rs 6 crore bounty on his head, his life was defined by the armed struggle till two days ago, when the 69-year-old Central Committee and Politburo member—along with 60 fellow cadres—stepped out of the jungle and into the quiet custody of the Gadchiroli Police.

The story is not one of a fierce gun battle, but of a man quietly losing faith and the careful, human efforts to guide him back, says a senior police official who was in know of the developments.

The official said the initial sign came last month when Bhupathi, sensing the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) movement was "on its last legs," began circulating pamphlets and press notes expressing his desire to surrender.

With his wife Tarakka having surrendered already earlier this year, the officials said that there were enough indications of change of Bhupathi's heart and ideology after having grown disillusioned as well as a feeling that the armed struggle had ultimately failed.

This put him at odds with the remaining top Naxal leadership, creating an internal conflict that spurred his decision, the official said.

"When he expressed his intent, we knew this was a critical, delicate moment," the police official said, adding "we immediately activated our intelligence network, not to hunt him, but to open a door."

The negotiations began not in a formal meeting room, but through trusted sources deep within the Bhamragad region, the official said while admitting it was a painstaking process of building trust, confirming intent, and ensuring safety for a man who had lived his entire life outside the law.

"Speculation about his surrender was rife" within LWE circles, the official said.

About ten days ago, a small sign of his commitment emerged when Bhupathi met with villagers in the Phodewada area, publicly sharing his thoughts about finally leaving the path of violence behind.

It was a crucial symbol that he may step away from the dogma he had preached for forty years, the official said.

The negotiations ended in the early hours of October 13, when a source of the police, who was in constant touch with the leader, delivered the final message that Bhupathi and his large group were ready to surrender that evening outside Hodari village in Bhamragad taluka.

The strategy was constantly monitored and carefully carried out to avoid any confrontation and Inspector General of Anti-Naxal Operations Sandeep Patil, Police Superintendent Nilotpal Gadchiroli, and other top officers oversaw the events, ensuring only a peaceful takeover.

"Through the source, the place of surrender was decided," the official said and added that "it was not a raid. It was an arranged meeting. The entire group was taken into safe custody."

That night, one of India's most wanted man, along with 60 others—a group that included 10 Divisional Committee Members and 54 recovered weapons—was quietly transported in six civil vehicles to Gadchiroli.

It was the quiet end to a decades-long violent journey, negotiated on the hope of a fresh start.

Bhupathi, who faces 71 criminal cases in Gadchiroli (10 of murder), was studying in an ITI (Industrial Training Institute) in 1974 when he joined a radical student organisation and worked their till 1979, according to a press release issued by the district SP office.

After joining the armed movement, he quickly rose through the ranks and went on to become a powerful figure in the banned CPI (Maoist)'s hierarchy.

When Bhupathi formally surrendered before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis along with 60 of his associates on Wednesday, it marked a huge setback for the proscribed outfit which is facing relentless pressure from security forces in Chhattisgarh and parts of Maharashtra.

The release said besides the key strategist, two DKSZC (Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee) members and 10 DVCM (Divisional Committee) members were among those who surrendered before Fadnavis along with their arms.

According to the police, out of the 61 Maoists who laid down their arms, 12 were couples. The surrendered Maoists will collectively get more than Rs 3 crore for rehabilitation.

Bhupathi was active as a central organiser in the Pedapalli area in Telangana from 1979 to 1982. He worked as a member of the Mahadev Dalam (squad) of the People's War Group from 1982 to 1983 and joined the Aheri dalam (in Gadchiroli) where he worked till 1984, informed the release.

Bhupathi was promoted to the rank of coordinator/convenor of Aheri and Sironcha dalam in 1984. In 1987, he was again elevated and made a divisional committee member, it said.

Police further informed that in 1989, he was transferred to the Kasansur dalam, where he worked till 1994. In 1994, he was made forest committee (FC) in-charge in the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha border zone and remained in the role till 1995.

Subsequently, in 1995, he was promoted as secretary of DKSZC and served there till 1997. Bhupathi was then promoted as a Central Committee member and became a Politburo member in 2007. In 2017, he was appointed secretary of the central regional bureau, said the release.

Since 2022, as many as 134 Maoists have surrendered in Gadchiroli. Of these, 101 have laid down their arms since January 2025, it added.