A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealed to Naxals to surrender and join the mainstream, 31 Naxalites, including five women, laid down their arms in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada and Narayanpur districts.

Among the surrendered cadres, 26 were from Dantewada, with three carrying rewards on their heads. 

These individuals were associated with Maoist groups such as Janmiltia, Revolutionary Party Committee (RPC), and Janatana Sarkar, as well as their front organizations like Dandakaranya Adivasi Kisan Majdoor Sangthan (DAKMS) and Chetna Natya Mandli (CNM).

Key figures among the surrendered included Rajesh Kashyap, the Aamdai area Janmilitia commander with a reward of ₹3 lakh, Kosa Madvi, head of the Janatana Sarkar squad with a bounty of ₹1 lakh, and Chhotu Kunjam from CNM, carrying a reward of ₹50,000.

The surrender marks a significant step in the government's efforts to eradicate Naxalism by March 2026 under its rehabilitation policy.

PTI