Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma has met with surrendered Naxalites at a rehabilitation centre in Sukma district and instructed officials to arrange a visit for them to the state assembly during the winter session. The aim is to help the former insurgents understand the democratic processes of governance.
Sukma, which was once considered a Maoist stronghold, is now witnessing significant progress in counter-insurgency efforts, with the central government aiming to free Chhattisgarh, as well as the entire country, from the Naxal threat by March 2026.
More than 2,100 Maoists have surrendered in Chhattisgarh in the last 23 months. This success follows high-profile defections, including the surrender of senior Naxal leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi, along with 60 other cadres, in Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district last month.
Sharma, who also holds the Home portfolio, paid a surprise visit late on Saturday evening to the rehabilitation centre in Sukma town, which currently houses 94 surrendered Naxalites (54 men and 40 women), officials confirmed.
He held a ‘choupal’ (traditional meeting) with the youth who have surrendered arms and joined the mainstream, sitting on the ground with them to listen to their concerns and experiences.
The Deputy CM issued several directives to officials to ensure the well-being and integration of the beneficiaries.
It has been informed that officials must organise a visit for the youth to the State Assembly in Raipur during the winter session next month. Proper food, accommodation, and other essential services must be provided. A special health camp should be organised at the centre.
Officials were instructed to allow family visits on market days or whenever requested, and arrangements should be made for the youth to meet family members lodged in jail, if requested.
The district administration was immediately directed to initiate the process for any surrendered Naxalites whose basic documents were incomplete.
The rehabilitation centre in Sukma currently provides training in masonry, agriculture-based entrepreneurship, and tailoring. Under the state's rehabilitation policy, the youth are also being assisted in securing long-term employment.
The Deputy CM’s visit comes shortly after a major breakthrough in the region: top Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma, who hailed from Puvarti village in Sukma, was killed in an encounter in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on November 18. The Chhattisgarh Police described this operation as the "last nail in the coffin" of the insurgency in the Dandakaranya region.
Also read: Three Naxalites with ₹15 lakh bounty killed in Chhattisgarh
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