As many as 11 Naxalites (Maoists), including Vimla Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka, who carried a bounty of Rs 1 crore, surrendered before the police in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli on Wednesday. As many as 8 women Maoists were part of the group who laid down weapons at Gadchiroli Police Headquarters on Wednesday, January 1. They had bounties totaling more than Rs 1 crore on their heads.
Chhattisgarh government had also announced a bounty on them. Among the surrendered was Tarakka Sidam, the head of the Dandakaranya Zonal Committee and wife of Bhupati, who had been involved in Naxalism for 34 years. The surrendered Maoists included three division committee members, one deputy commander, and two area committee members. Each of them was provided with a financial aid package worth Rs 86 lakh to support their new lives.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was present during the surrender, expressed confidence that Naxalism would soon be eradicated from the state. CM Fadnavis also visited the Pengunda Police Help Center in Gadchiroli. CM Fadnavis highlighted the transformation of the Gadchiroli region, saying, “This area of Gadchiroli, where we are standing, did not even have a road, and the Maoists had complete dominance here. Today, ending that dominance, we have built two big posts and constructed a road and bridge connecting directly to Chhattisgarh.”
He added, “In a way, after 75 years, the people here will get to see the state transport bus. Therefore, I believe that this is a very important day. We had said that Gadchiroli will not be the last district of Maharashtra, it will be the first district of Maharashtra and we have started that. Now the Maoists do not find new people here, there is no recruitment. Big cadres are surrendering, so it is heading towards an end.” Fadnavis also inaugurated several key infrastructure projects, including the Gatta-Gardewada-Vangeturi road, Tadguda Bridge, and the bus service from Aheri to Gardevada in the Maoist-affected area. During his visit, he interacted with the police jawans and villagers.
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