Naxal couple surrenders in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district

Raipur, Feb 17: A Naxal couple, allegedly involved in several violent incidents, including bomb attacks and murder, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Thursday, citing disillusionment with Maoist ideology and violence, police said.

Commander' Punau Ram Kumeti and his wife Sarita alias Jarina turned themselves in before Border Security Force and police officials at the headquarters of BSF's 165th battalion in Durgkondal of the district, a police official told.

While Punau was attached to a Maoist military platoon, Sarita was a member of Kadme dalam (unit) of CPI (Maoist), he said. Punau got associated with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) in 2001 and has been allegedly involved in several violent incidents, the official said.

Damaging a government building by triggering a blast in Tadoki region (2004), bomb attack on a police vehicle in Rowghat (2004), planting IEDs, firing on security personnel, killing a villager in Koyalibeda (2004) and triggering explosion on a police vehicle leaving two jawans dead in Bande police station area (2005) were some of the offences in which he was allegedly involved, he added.

Similarly, Sarita was allegedly involved in various Naxal incidents, including murder and damaging roads, he said. In their statement, the surrendered cadres said "hollow" Naxal ideology besides their continuous exploitation and violence by Maoists compelled them to quit the path of armed struggle. Moreover, they were impressed with the provisions of the State Government's surrender and rehabilitation policy mainstream, the official said.

PTI