Two female Naxalites surrendered and were rehabilitated on March 31, 2026, prompting Sukma district police to declare the area completely free of Maoist influence, Superintendent of Police Kiran G Chavan said. The women, members of Company Number 8 of the Naxalite organisation, carried a combined bounty of Rs 16 lakh, Chavan said, and security forces recovered weapons and cash during the surrender process.
Chavan said authorities seized six automatic weapons — including one INSAS light machine gun (LMG), two AK-47s and three other firearms — and roughly Rs 10 lakh in cash from the pair. He described the surrender as the culmination of sustained security operations and outreach in the district.
Explaining how the outcome was achieved, Chavan credited continuous operations and the establishment of security camps in interior areas over the past two years. He said those efforts had resulted in the deaths of more than 90 Naxalites, the arrest of over 600 suspected militants, and the surrender and rehabilitation of roughly 800 others. “Following today’s surrender, the Sukma district has been declared completely free of Maoist influence,” he added.
Chavan also pointed to improving access and development in previously inaccessible pockets of Sukma. He said security deployments have opened many interior routes and that work is underway on about 60 roads, alongside other development projects. Sporting programmes have been used to engage youth and draw them into the mainstream, he said, adding that police and security forces will continue to support local development.
Separately, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday (March 30, 2026) that Naxalism has been nearly eradicated from Bastar and the region is moving toward progress. Replying to a Lok Sabha debate on left-wing extremism, he cited campaigns to establish a school in every village, open ration shops village by village, set up primary and community health centres at tehsil and panchayat levels, and issue Aadhaar and ration cards so residents receive five kilograms of food grains.
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/chhattisgarhs-sukma-declared-naxal-free-after-2-naxalites-surrender-cops-11294079#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-04-01 06:01:00
