A Maoist couple surrendered in Chhattigarh’s Dantewada district after being impressed by a rehabilitation campaign being run by police in Dantewada, a senior official said on Thursday.
Prakash Kartami alias Pandu, who was carrying a reward of ₹2 lakh on his head, and his wife Hadme Kartami turned themselves in before police on Wednesday, Dantewada Superintendent of Police Abhishek Pallava said.
Pandu, a member of Maoist military platoon number 24, was involved in several deadly attacks on police personnel, including the Cholnar blast in Dantewada in April 2015 in which five jawans were killed and eight others were injured.
He was also involved in the ambush in NMDC mines area of Dantewada in 2012 in which six policemen and a civilian driver were killed, the official said.
His wife, a native of neighbouring Sukma district, was member of the Chetna Natya Mandli (cultural wing of Maoists) and was associated with the outlawed outfit since 2012.
She was tasked with spreading Maoist propaganda, conducting recee on police personnel, arranging meetings of villagers and damaging roads, the official said.
Pandu and his wife in their statement said they were disappointed with the “hollow” Maoist ideology, and at the same time were impressed by ‘Lon Varratu’ (term coined in local Gondi dialect which means ‘return to your village’) campaign being run by police in Dantewada, Mr. Pallava said.
Both were given an immediate assistance of ₹10,000 each and will be provided facilities further as per the government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, he said.
Under the ‘Lon Varratu’ initiative, the police have been putting up posters and banners in the native villages of Naxals, who carry cash rewards on their head.
The posters mention the names of rebels and appeal to them to join the mainstream, the police official said.
So far, 28 Naxals have surrendered under the drive, he added.
