Raipur: In a significant development, a Naxal couple, with the wife carrying a substantial cash reward of ₹1 lakh on her head, has surrendered to security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district. The couple’s decision to surrender was influenced by “discrimination” they experienced within the ranks of the banned left-wing organisation, as confirmed by the police.
The surrendered Naxal couple have been identified as Muchaki Galle and Muchaki Bhima. The female cadre held a cash reward of ₹1 lakh. Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDOP) Tongpal Tomesh Verma shared that the couple’s surrender is part of the ongoing ‘Puna Narkom’ campaign, signifying “New Dawn” in the Gondi dialect. This initiative is a component of the Chhattisgarh government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy for Naxals.
Expressing their discontent with the banned outfit and showing admiration for the government’s rehabilitation policy, the couple chose to surrender. This instance follows a similar occurrence three weeks prior, when two Naxal couples, collectively carrying a cash reward of ₹20 lakh, surrendered in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
As of June 17, since the launch of the surrender campaign, a total of 609 Naxalites have laid down their arms in the Dantewada district. Among them, 157 were individuals with cash rewards, according to an official statement by the government.
In a related context, the central government revealed in the Lok Sabha that incidents of Left Wing Extremism (LWE) or Naxal violence, along with resultant fatalities, were reduced by 77 percent and 90 percent, respectively, in 2022 compared to 2010. The number of districts reporting LWE violence also decreased, from 96 in 2010 to 45 in 2022.
The Union Minister of State for Home, Nityanand Rai, disclosed data indicating the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) scheme’s impact on LWE-affected regions. He noted that a total fund of ₹30,695 lakh was allocated in the 2022–23 fiscal year under the scheme to ten Naxal-affected states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
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