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In a significant development, 50 cadres of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), including 39 women, have surrendered at the Kamtera camp of the BSF's 40th Battalion in Koyalibeda, Kanker district, according to security forces.
The surrender took place under the leadership of senior Maoist leaders Rajman Mandavi and Raju Salam, both members of the South Zonal Committee (SZCM). The surrendered cadres reportedly handed over 39 weapons, including 7 AK-47 rifles, 2 SLRs, 4 INSAS rifles, 1 INSAS LMG, and 1 Sten gun. The first tranche of Maoists has been reported from the north of Maad, whereas the next tranche is expected to reach the south of Maad by Thursday morning in the Bhairamgarh area of Bijapur district. This development comes amid sustained anti-Maoist operations spearheaded by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and state governments across the country. Earlier on October 14, Malloujula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu, a senior CPI (Maoist) leader and its Politburo member, laid down weapons along with 60 Maoist cadres in Maharashtra's Gadchiroli on Tuesday, signalling a potential move towards peace with the Centre. In a statement, Rao requested a month's time to deliberate before initiating formal peace talks and urged the government to suspend armed operations against party cadres in the interim. "I am laying down the weapons and will become a part of movements for providing relief for the oppressed in India. Since the last week of March 2025, our party has been engaged in peace talks with the government. The party's chief secretary issued a press statement in May, which kept an offer of a ceasefire while asking for a month's time to deliberate on laying down the weapons. Unfortunately, the Central government did not give their reply on it; rather, they have increased the intensity of their attacks," he said. Earlier, in September, Rao had indicated his intention to lay down arms, receiving support from a significant number of Maoist cadres in Chhattisgarh and other parts of India. (ANI)
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