37 Maoists, Including 27 With Bounties, Surrender in Dantewada Under ‘Poona Margem’ Rehabilitation Programme

Dantewada, Nov 2025 : In one of the largest Maoist surrenders recorded in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district under the Lon Varratu and Poona Margem (Revival through Rehabilitation) programmes, 37 Maoists—27 of whom carried a combined bounty of Rs 65 lakh—laid down their arms and vowed to return to the social mainstream, officials announced on Sunday.

The surrendered cadres said they had completely lost faith in the path of violence and expressed full confidence in the Chhattisgarh government’s Poona Margem rehabilitation policy, which offers an alternative based on dignity, reintegration, and socio-economic support. Many of them cited exhaustion from life in the forests and increasing pressure from ongoing security operations as reasons for returning.

The rehabilitation initiative, implemented under the direct supervision of senior officers of the Chhattisgarh Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), has been steadily gaining acceptance among Maoist cadres across the Bastar region. Authorities noted that many former insurgents have chosen to surrender after recognising the opportunities for a peaceful and secure future through the programme.

Officials emphasised that both the Central and State governments, along with the Dantewada Police, local administration, and various CRPF battalions, remain committed to restoring peace, enabling social reintegration, and accelerating inclusive development in the region.

Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, described the Poona Margem and Lon Varratu initiatives as transformative programmes that are steadily contributing to “lasting peace, dignity, and overall progress” in the conflict-affected region.

The 37 Maoists surrendered in the presence of senior officials, including Deputy Inspector General (Dantewada Range) Kamalochan Kashyap, DIG (Territory) CRPF Rakesh Chaudhary, Superintendent of Police Dantewada Gaurav Rai, Commandant 111th Battalion CRPF Gopal Yadav, Commandant 230th Battalion CRPF Anil Kumar Prasad, Commandant 80th Battalion CRPF Jitendra Kumar, Additional SP Dantewada Ramkumar Barman, and Deputy Commandant (Intelligence Branch) Vimal at the DRG office in Dantewada.

Under the state’s rehabilitation policy, each surrendered cadre will receive an assistance amount of Rs 50,000, along with additional benefits from the Chhattisgarh government including skill development training, support for livelihood generation, and allocation of agricultural land. Authorities confirmed that twelve women Maoists were also among those who surrendered. A sizeable cache of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was recovered from them, marking a major setback for Maoist networks operating in the Bastar region.

Police officials revealed that many of those who surrendered had been living in hiding for years and were wanted in multiple cases. Bounties of up to Rs 5 lakh had been announced on several of them, and some had previously served as bodyguards and squad members for senior Maoist commanders.

Speaking to reporters, SP Gaurav Rai said, “Our persistent efforts and the support of the local people have paid off. The Maoists are saying it has become difficult to survive in the forests. Police presence has expanded, and even villagers are no longer supporting them.”

Over the past 20 months, more than 508 Maoists, including 165 with bounties, have surrendered in Dantewada due to the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policies. Officials say this steady trend reflects a weakening of Maoist influence, from senior leadership to rank-and-file cadres.

Sunday’s mass surrender marks another significant leap toward achieving a violence-free and peaceful Bastar, authorities said.