In a significant development for security forces in eastern India, a total of 22 Naxals laid down their arms and surrendered before the Odisha Police in Malkangiri district on Tuesday. This event marks another crucial success in the ongoing, multi-pronged national effort to curb Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) and establish lasting peace in the region's remote areas.
Surrender Under Rehabilitation Scheme
The Odisha Police confirmed that the 22 individuals surrendered voluntarily, seeking rehabilitation under the state government's initiative. They gave up their arms and ammunition, expressing a desire to return to the mainstream. This surrender follows a larger event just last week, where 34 Naxals surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district. The Bijapur Police noted that those cadres were collectively carrying a reward of Rs 84 lakh on their heads.
The surrenders are facilitated under the state's focused rehabilitation program titled "Poona Margham: Punarvas Se Punarjeevan" (Return to the Mainstream: Social Reintegration through Rehabilitation). This policy emphasizes welfare-based measures and the social reintegration of former extremists. Officials view these consecutive surrenders as a clear reflection of the growing impact of sustained anti-Naxal policies combined with consistent confidence-building efforts.
Wide-Ranging Impact Across States
The group that surrendered in Chhattisgarh last week included 34 Maoists from the South Sub-Zonal Bureau, comprising seven women and 27 men. Notably, the surrendered cadres were not limited to a single unit. They included members from:
- The Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) unit
- The Telangana State Committee
- The Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) division
This composition indicates that the appeal of surrender and rehabilitation schemes is extending beyond district and even state boundaries, disrupting Naxal networks across a wide geographical area.
Security Strategy: The Role of Forward Operating Bases
Parallel to the rehabilitation efforts, a robust security strategy is being implemented to establish dominance in Naxal-affected regions. With the Central government setting March 2026 as the deadline to eliminate the LWE menace, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been at the forefront of tactical deployments.
A key component of this strategy has been the establishment of Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). These are permanent bases set up by central armed police forces in remote, forested, and insurgency-prone areas that were previously considered Naxal strongholds. Their presence denies Maoists sanctuary and extends the reach of security forces.
From 2019 to date, a total of 229 FOBs have been established across six key Naxal-affected states. The year-wise breakdown of their establishment is as follows:
- 2024 (till date): 40 FOBs
- 2023: 27 FOBs
- 2022: 48 FOBs
- 2021: 29 FOBs
- 2020: 18 FOBs
- 2019: 8 FOBs
These bases are spread across Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Telangana, creating a grid of security and governance in historically vulnerable zones.
The twin approach of persuasive rehabilitation policies for those willing to surrender and assertive security measures through FOBs appears to be yielding tangible results. The recent surrenders in Odisha and Chhattisgarh signal a potential weakening of the Maoist ideology and structure, bringing the goal of lasting peace in India's heartland closer to reality.
