In biggest surrender, 33 lay down arms in Bastar

Bhopal: In the biggest Maoist surrender in the current calendar year in Chhattisgarh’s conflict zone of Bastar, 33 Naxals including half-a-dozen middle level ranking cadres on Friday laid down arms to join the mainstream.

Significantly, 14 of these surrendered Maoists hailed from Bhudrimahu village, considered citadel of dreaded Kanger Valley Area Committee operating in Bastar district.

This signalled virtual decimation of Kanger Valley Area Committee.

“Significance of today’s surrender of Naxals is fall of the citadel of the Kanger Valley Area Committee,” Bastar range inspector general of police in-charge P.Sunder Raj said.

Kanger Valley Area Committee, functioning under Darbha Division of CPI (Maoist), was considered the most ruthless unit of the outlawed organisation.