In a massive blow to the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) movement, a high-ranking Maoist couple carrying a combined bounty of Rs 1.1 crore surrendered alongside 17 other rebels on Friday.
Following the breakthrough, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi declared that Odisha is on track to become completely “Naxal-free” by March 31.
The surrendered couple was identified as CPI (Maoist) State Committee members Niranjan Rout (45), alias Nikhil, and his wife Rashmira Lenka (42), known as Indu.
Director General of Police (DGP) Y.B. Khurania said that both held positions in the second-highest tier of the organization’s hierarchy, just below the Central Committee.
Earlier, Rout and his wife had written to the Odisha government expressing their willingness to surrender.
“Today, Odisha has achieved a major breakthrough in the national mission to eliminate Left Wing Extremism and build a Naxal-free India,” the chief minister, who is also in charge of the home department, said in a post on X.
He attributed the success to the central government’s “zero tolerance” policy on terrorism and extremism and the strategic synergy between the state and central government that has brought the campaign against Left Wing Extremism to a “decisive stage”.
“My government stands resolutely committed to eliminating Maoist violence from Odisha and to achieving the goal of a completely Maoist-free state by 31st March,” the CM said.
The DGP detailed that 15 of the rebels, including the high-profile couple, surrendered before the Superintendent of Police in Rayagada.
These individuals were active members of the Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Nagabali (BGN) division. An additional four cadres from the Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division renounced violence in the Kandhamal district.
Regarding the surrender of 15 Maoists in Rayagada, Khurania said all of them were cadres of Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Nagabali (BGN) division of the out-lawed CPI(Maoist).
“Apart from the Maoist couple, 13 more cadres of BGN division have also surrendered. A total of 14 modern guns have been seized from them,” he said.
Those seized firearms were two AK-47 guns, five SLRs, a Sten gun, one INSAS rifle, a .303 rifle and four single-shot guns.
Niranjan Rout, a veteran of the movement, had been active in the Rayagada-Gajapati-Kandhamal corridor for over twenty years, the DGP said.
On the surrender of four Maoists in Kandhamal, Khurania said they were party members and belonged to Kalahandi-Kandhamal-Boudh-Nayagarh (KKBN) division of the CPI(Maoist).
During the surrender, these four Maoists handed over their arms, ammunition and other items to the police. The police seized one SLR, one 12-bore gun, and two .303 rifles from them. There were several cases registered against them in various police stations of the state.
Taking to his social media handles, chief minister said, “This success reflects the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi Ji for a secure and empowered India and the firm, decisive leadership of Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah Ji”.
Majhi said that the state government remains firmly humane and inclusive in the entire process attempting to end LWE from Odisha. Through a robust Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, those who abandon violence and return to the mainstream are assured institutional support, lawful protection and an opportunity to live with dignity, he said.
Noting that violence has no legitimacy and no future, Majhi said peace, development and the rule of law alone will shape Odisha’s destiny.
“I once again call upon all remaining cadres to surrender arms, reject violence and join the path of development as partners in the progress of our state,” he said.
