This image made out of Google Maps locates Sukma district in Chhattisgarh.
Twenty six Maoists, 13 of them carrying a cumulative bounty of ₹64 lakh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Sukma on Wednesday (January 7, 2026), said the police.This is the first bulk surrender of 2026 in the Bastar region that comprises seven districts including Sukma. In the last two years, the trend of surrenders has seen a jump with 1573 alleged Maoists surrendering in 2025 and 792 in 2024.The Chhattisgarh government's "Puna Margem" rehabilitation and revival campaign is being conducted. Influenced by this and with the increasing influence of police due to continuous establishment of camps in the most sensitive interior areas, 26 Maoists including seven women active in the Maoist organization surrendered today at the Reserve Police Station Sukma,” said an official statement.The surrendered Maoists have been involved in several major incidents in Sukma district, Marwar region and border Odisha, said Superintendent of Police (Sukma) Kiran Chavan.Under the government's rehabilitation policy "Chhattisgarh Naxalite Surrender/Victim Relief Rehabilitation Policy-2025", all the above surrendered Maoists will be provided incentive amount of ₹50,000 each, declared reward amount and other facilities, the police statement added.Among the surrendered Maoists is 35-year-old Lali alias Muchaki Ayate, a Deputy Commander who was carrying a reward of ₹10 lakh. It is alleged that he was involved in a 2017 incident in which an IED exploded on a security forces vehicle on the Sonabeda village to Koraput road, killing 14 soldiers.Another surrendered Maoist Hemla Lakhma, 41, and a resident of Sukma district, was carrying a reward of ₹8 lakh and was working with the Maoists since 2011. The police statement added that the was involved in an encounter in which 17 police personnel were martyred in the forest of Minpa village in the year 2020.“Under the guidance of senior officials in Sukma district, anti-Maoist operations are being continuously conducted with the aim of fulfilling the resolution of Maoist-free Bastar, due to which the Maoist organization is on the verge of extinction and developmental work is being carried out in the remote forest areas,” the police statement added. Published - January 07, 2026 12:52 pm IST
