33 Naxals Surrender In Sukma, Chhattisgarh: Key Development In Anti-Maoist Operations

A significant event in Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, took place on April 18, 2025, when 33 Naxals turned themselves in to security forces. Official reports state that around 17 of the Naxals who turned themselves in had a total reward of Rs 49 lakh. Nine women were among the 22 people who turned themselves in to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the police. Two women were among the other eleven Naxals who later surrendered and gave up their weapons.

According to Sukma's Superintendent of Police Kiran Chavan, the surrender was the consequence of growing disenchantment with the Maoist doctrine, particularly with reference to the atrocities against local tribal tribes. The Maoist parties' cruel methods disappointed the surrendered Naxals, who pointed to the state government's "Niyad Nellanar" (Your Good Village) program as a motivating factor.

One of the main reasons the Naxals turned themselves in was the initiative's emphasis on developing isolated settlements. The surrender and rehabilitation policies of the new state government was also a major factor in persuading the militants to put down their arms.

Muchaki Joga, the deputy commander of Company No. 1 in the Maoists' Maad division of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), was one of the well-known surrenderees. Muchaki Jogi, his wife and a member of the same squad, also turned herself up. Each of them had prizes totaling Rs 8 lakh. Kikid Deve and Manoj alias Dudhi Budhra, both members of the area committee, were among the other prominent surrenderees.

They each carried a prize of Rs 5 lakh. One of the Naxals who turned themselves in had a prize of Rs 50,000, while the total bounty on some of them was Rs 2 lakh. A number of these people have previously participated in attacks on security forces.

The District Reserve Guard (DRG), CRPF, the district police, and the prestigious CoBRA team were all instrumental in this operation's success. The surrender of 11 Naxals from the Badesatti village panchayat inside the boundaries of the Phulbagdi police station was a particularly notable accomplishment. Badesatti is now formally a Maoist-free village panchayat as a result of these surrenders. The police's persistent efforts, which included close coordination with local panchayat leaders for the past 15 days, to persuade members of the revolutionary party committee and local militia to turn away from the Maoist cause, were partly responsible for this victory.

The government launched the "Elvad Panchayat Yojna" as a component of the Chhattisgarh Naxal Surrender/Victim Relief and Rehabilitation Policy-2025. This program gives local panchayats up to Rs 1 crore in development funding if they help the Naxals surrender and declare themselves Maoist-free. The recent surrenders were a successful result of the police's persistent efforts to persuade local officials to enact a resolution declaring Badesatti Maoist-free.

According to government policy, each of the Naxals who turned themselves in received assistance totaling about Rs 50,000 and will undergo additional rehabilitation. This action is in line with a larger pattern in the Bastar region, where 792 Naxals gave up in 2024, indicating a change in the ongoing conflict and the possibility of regional peacebuilding. An important step in stabilizing the region and giving the local communities a sense of security and hope is the surrender of these 33 Naxals.