Amaravati, (Samajweekly) Six key Maoist cadres, including four women, surrendered before Andhra Pradesh Police, police said on Thursday.
The Maoist cadres belonging to Andhra-Pradesh Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) were produced before media by Director General of Police D. Gautam Sawang.
The rebels, including four from Chhattisgarh, were involved in 127 offences including 17 murders over the past one and a half decades. The two others are from Visakhapatnam.
All the six cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist were together carrying a reward of Rs 16 lakh.
Those who laid down the arms include Peddabailu-Korukunda Area Committee Secretary Chikkudu Chinna Rao alias Sudheer (32), Divisional Committee Member and Divisional Commander, Vanthala Vannu alias Mahita (25), and Area Committee Members, Madakam Somidi, (25), and Madakam Manglu alias Deepak (21), also a protection team member.
The two other female cadres — Poyam Rukini alias Rinky (18) and Sodi Bheeme (18) — were also working as protection team members.
Chinna Rao was involved in 93 offences including 14 murders and 11 gunfights. He was also involved in seven landmine blasts.
The DGP said the Maoists decided to lay down the arms and join the mainstream due to dwindling support from the tribal population, lack of recruitment from tribals and discrimination of tribal cadres by top leadership.
He claimed that Maoists were losing support of the tribals as the benefits of the government schemes are reaching the tribals even in remote areas through the volunteers. He said this had made it difficult for the extremists to sustain.
“Their cadres have depleted. The Maoist ideology has become redundant and irrelevant,” he said.
Sawang said that in the past Maoists used to come to talk to tribals and settle local disputes but now the government is taking steps to solve their problems.
He said the government has also given lands to tribals and addressed their problems, adding 3 lakh acres of land was identified to be given to tribals and almost 20,000 families have got pattas. “In the past, the land issue used to create lot of heart burning but even this problem has been solved,” he said.
The DGP said the Maoist cadres had depleted to 54 from 140 two years ago. There used to be two companies with 19 members in each but now the outfit has just one platoon comprising 10 members.
The Andhra-Odisha Border area used to have eight committees in past but now the number has come down to four.
The police chief said in 11 exchange of fire during last one year, 14 Maoists including DCMs lost their lives. Six important cadres were arrested and they included one DCM and one Special Zonal Committee member. A total of 32 cadres surrendered including a Special Zonal committee members and 3 DCMs.
He appealed to Maoist cadres to come forward and taking advantage of the surrender policy offered the state government.
