21 Maoists, including 13 senior cadres, surrender in Chhattisgarh Amit Shah hails move

Union Home Minister and Minister of Cooperation Amit Shah on Monday expressed happiness over the surrender of 21 Maoists along with their weapons in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh , calling it a major step toward ending Left-Wing Extremism in the region.

In a post on X, Shah said that 13 of those who surrendered were senior cadres , marking a significant breakthrough in the government’s anti-Maoist campaign. Among them was Divisional Committee Secretary Mukesh , a senior functionary of the Keshkal Division of the CPI (Maoist) . Police officials confirmed that the group comprised four Divisional Committee members, nine Area Committee members, and eight lower-rank functionaries , all associated with the Kuemari and Kiskodo Area Committees under the North Sub-Zonal Bureau.

Many of the surrendered Maoists, officials said, were wanted in several cases of violence and ambushes targeting security forces in the forested belt of north Bastar. They also handed over 18 weapons , including assault rifles and ammunition, during the surrender. The move is expected to significantly weaken Maoist operational strength in the region.

“I commend them for joining the mainstream, abjuring violence at the call of the Modi government,” Shah said in his post. “I reiterate my appeal to the rest who are still wielding guns to surrender at the earliest. We are resolved to eradicate Naxalism by 31st March 2026 .”

The surrender follows intensified security operations and rehabilitation drives jointly undertaken by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Chhattisgarh Police , focusing on both enforcement and socio-economic reintegration of former extremists. Under the Centre’s strategy, the emphasis is on combining development, dialogue, and decisive security action to dismantle remaining Maoist strongholds.

This latest development adds to a wave of mass surrenders in recent months . On October 16, 2025 , as many as 170 Maoists, including several senior cadres , laid down their arms in Dantewada, Sukma, and Bijapur districts , areas that once formed the core of Maoist operations in southern Chhattisgarh. According to officials, these coordinated surrenders reflect a steady erosion of Maoist influence as improved road connectivity, welfare schemes, and rehabilitation incentives continue to draw former insurgents back into the mainstream.

With back-to-back surrenders across multiple districts, security agencies say the Maoist movement in central India has reached its weakest phase in decades, bolstering the government’s confidence in achieving its target of a Naxal-free nation by March 2026 .