Context:
In a major development in India’s anti-Naxal efforts, 210 Maoist cadres from the Dandakaranya region surrendered in Jagdalpur (Bastar district), Chhattisgarh and joined the State government’s rehabilitation programme. This marks one of the largest mass surrenders of Maoists in recent years.
Key Highlights / Details
 Details of the Surrender
- 210 Maoists surrendered collectively—first such mass surrender of senior cadres.
- Rupesh, alias Satish, a Central Committee member of the banned CPI (Maoist), led the surrender.
- Ceremony emphasized “surrender before society, not government”—no formal weapon handover, participants were instead greeted with roses by tribal leaders.
- Reflects a shift from violent extremism towards constitutional path and peace, as per Chhattisgarh government messaging.
 Reasons Behind Surrender
- Maoist leader Rupesh stated they surrendered due to changed ground circumstances.
- However, he emphasized they were “not giving up their struggle”, indicating ideological continuity.
- Maoists raised specific demands related to:
- Safety and livelihood of surrendered cadres.
- Tribal land, forest rights, and socio-economic issues in Bastar.
 Government Response
- Deputy CM Vijay Sharma stated that some demands were accepted, aligned with existing policies.
- Government reiterating focus on development + security model in Bastar.
- Rehabilitation aims at mainstreaming extremist cadres with vocational support and welfare schemes.
 National Context
- PM Narendra Modi stated that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) will soon be eliminated.
- Government claims:
- 303 Naxals surrendered in the past 75 hours.
- Only 3 districts in India remain LWE-affected.
- LWE violence reduced significantly through coordinated security operations and development initiatives.
Relevant Prelims Points
- CPI (Maoist): Banned under UAPA as a terrorist organization.
- Left Wing Extremism (LWE): Concentrated historically in the Red Corridor—Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Bihar.
- Dandakaranya: Maoist stronghold spreading across Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra-Odisha borders.
- SAMADHAN Doctrine: MHA strategy against LWE—Smart leadership, Aggressive strategy, Motivation, Actionable intelligence, etc.
Relevant Mains Points
- Challenges of internal security and insurgency.
- Role of development deficit, displacement, tribal alienation as root causes of extremism.
- Rehabilitation vs. Hard Security – a balanced approach.
- Surrender and rehabilitation policies as conflict resolution tools.
- Need to strengthen governance, local participation, and trust-building.