Mumbai: A total reward of Rs 3 crore will be distributed among 61 surrendered Maoist members as part of their rehabilitation package, police officials from Gadchiroli said on Wednesday.
Naxalites Lay Down Their Arms
On Tuesday, senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal alias Bhupathi and 60 other cadres had laid down arms before the Gadchiroli police and also surrendered 54 weapons. Bhupathi alone carried a massive bounty of Rs 6 crore on his head.
Chief Minister and Gadchiroli guardian minister Devendra Fadnavis, who visited the district on Wednesday, said, “Owing to the surrender scheme announced by the Maharashtra government and the hardships of a violent life, many senior Maoists have laid down arms before the police so far. Along with this, due to the all-round development initiatives and rehabilitation efforts by the police, a total of 722 Maoists have surrendered before the Gadchiroli police to date,” a police officer said.
On Wednesday, a total of 61 senior Maoist militants, including Bhupathi, surrendered before the CM, delivering a major blow to the Maoist movement in Gadchiroli and across the Dandakaranya region. Fadnavis appealed to the remaining Maoists to renounce violence, lay down their weapons and join the mainstream of democracy to live a life of dignity and adopt the path of peace.
“Today is an important day in the history of Gadchiroli district, the Maoist movement in Gadchiroli district has almost come to an end. I am confident that in the future, a large number of Maoists will surrender and join the mainstream of development,” he added.
The police sources said that Bhupathi was considered one of the most influential strategists in the Maoist organisation and had long supervised platoon operations along the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border. However, growing differences between him and the top Naxal leadership in recent months led to internal conflict. Earlier this year, Venugopal's wife Tarakka also surrendered. She was a member of the Dandakaranya special zonal committee of the outlawed movement.
Meanwhile, private firm Lloyds Metals and Energy Ltd (LMEL), which has operations in Gadchiroli, on Wednesday offered to train and thereafter provide jobs to surrendered Naxalites in the district. “We will work on how to involve them (surrendered Naxals) and what work they can do. A person (like Bhupathi), who has been in jungle for 30 years and living with a certain ideology, has come out and joined the mainstream. I think it is a fantastic opportunity for us to involve him and make him a brand ambassador so that remaining people (Naxals) also come out and join the mainstream,” he said.
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