Overview
- Paparao, a senior CPI (Maoist) leader in West Bastar, surrendered in Bijapur with 17 cadres on Tuesday, and police seized eight AK-47s along with other rifles.
- In Odisha, police at a public event Wednesday accepted the surrender of Sukru and four others, and the force said only eight to nine Maoists remain active in small pockets of Kandhamal.
- Chhattisgarh officials said no commander of comparable rank remains in the state, and the group will be processed under surrender-and-rehabilitation schemes as the March 31 LWE target nears.
- Security agencies said tighter surveillance, area domination, and the recent killing of Paparao’s close associate Dilip Bedja cut support lines and pushed senior leaders to seek exit.
- Government data show active Maoist cadres fell from about 1,600 to roughly 100 in Chhattisgarh since 2025 and from 2,018 to 216 nationwide, while rights advocates urged careful oversight of post-surrender reintegration.