Maoists operating on the Odisha-Chhattisgarh border with the responsibility of intensifying insurgency in the Chhattisgarh-Odisha-Jharkhand axis, surrendered before Odisha police on Monday, dealing a major blow to the ultras’ movement. The surrendered Maoists belonged to the Kodanga-Mahanadi-Sanjukta Area Committee operating under the Kandhamal- Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of Odisha State Committee of CPI (Maoist). The surrendered Maoists said they preferred to surrender and join the mainstream in the light of the appeal made by the Odisha chief minister asking Maoists to be a part of the developmental initiatives and benefit from the Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy. The surrender of the three cadres came a month after Sudheer alias Chikudu Chinna Rao, a divisional committee member and commander of Pedabayalu and Korukonda area committee of Andhra Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee of Maoists walked out of the party and surrendered. In the last two years more than 20 active Maoist cadres and hundreds of active militias/Maoist sympathizers have surrendered in Malkangiri district.

Source: Hindustan Times August 17, 2021 05:03 UTC