Malkangiri: In a major breakthrough for counter-insurgency operations in southern Odisha, 22 Maoist cadres, including high-ranking commanders, surrendered to the state police on Tuesday.
The mass surrender took place in the presence of Odisha Director General of Police (DGP) Y.B. Khurania. The group turned over a significant arsenal, including nine firearms (comprising an AK-47, INSAS, and SLR rifles), 150 rounds of live ammunition, 20 kg of explosives, and 13 improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The defecting rebels include two prominent figures from Chhattisgarh. Linge (alias Myre Madkam), a 45-year-old Divisional Committee Member (DCM) from the Sukma district and Baman Madkam, a 27-year-old Area Committee Member (ACM) and Commander from the Dantewada district.

Officials noted that while the majority of the surrendered individuals hail from Chhattisgarh, they had been actively operating within the forest regions of Odisha.

Authorities attributed the mass surrender to the Odisha government’s recently updated rehabilitation framework. On November 27, the state revised its Maoist surrender policy, setting reward amounts 10% higher than those offered in neighbouring Chhattisgarh to incentivise rebels to cross the border and lay down their arms.

Under the new policy, the combined bounties for these 22 individuals exceeded ₹2 crore. The state’s rehabilitation program will now provide the former rebels with financial assistance, housing, and vocational training to facilitate their reintegration into mainstream society.

DGP Khurania reaffirmed the state’s commitment to eradicating Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) by March 2026, highlighting that the depletion of seasoned commanders significantly weakens the operational capacity of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) outfit in the region.

With inputs from PTI