Ranchi: Sixteen Maoists, including senior members of squads led by CPI (Maoist) politburo member Misir Besra and central committee member Asim Mandal, surrendered before security forces at the police headquarters here on Tuesday under the Jharkhand govt’s surrender and rehabilitation policy, Operation Navjeevan.The group included one regional committee member (RCM), three zonal committee members (ZCMs), three sub-zonal committee members (SZCMs), six area committee members (ACMs) and three cadres. Six of them carried cumulative rewards of Rs 39 lakh. Police said around 450 cases were registered against the 16 Maoists.They also surrendered 11 automatic weapons allegedly looted from police — six Insas rifles, two AK-47 rifles, one HK33 rifle, one US carbine and one M16 rifle.DGP Tadasha Mishra and senior officers of Jharkhand police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) welcomed the surrendered cadres and appealed to other Maoists to join the mainstream.Police termed the initiative “Operation Navjeevan-II”. Under its first phase in May, 27 extremists — 25 Maoists and two Jharkhand Jan Mukti Parishad (JJMP) members — surrendered.Calling it a “golden day” in the fight against Left-wing extremism, Mishra said police would try to ensure that the surrendered Maoists received all benefits available under the policy. She also paid tribute to police personnel killed in anti-Maoist operations.IG of CRPF, Saket Singh, attributed the surrender to sustained operations by Jharkhand police, CRPF and CoBRA. He said the deaths of 17 Maoists, including central committee member Anal Manjhi, in an operation this year led to the dispersal of Maoist groups.IG (operations) Narendra Singh said eight commanders and squad members active in the Saranda region were also expected to surrender in Chhattisgarh.According to police, the 16 were involved in at least 18 incidents in which 15 police personnel and five civilians were killed, while 28 policemen were injured.Santosh, one of those who surrendered, said life in the forests made it difficult to secure basic necessities, including food and shelter. He claimed he wanted to avail himself of the surrender policy but could not establish contact with the appropriate authorities.Salmi, a woman cadre, said she initially joined the cultural team of Maoists before being inducted into an armed squad. She said cadres had to walk for four to five hours almost every day while carrying their belongings.
