Karnataka: Custody of Six Surrendered Maoists Concludes Today
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Synopsis
The police custody of six Maoists who surrendered to the Karnataka Chief Minister ends today. They are set to appear before the NIA Special Court. The government has declared Karnataka free of Left Wing Extremism following their surrender.
Key Takeaways
- Six Maoists surrendered to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
- Custody concludes today before NIA Special Court.
- Karnataka declared a Left Wing Extremism-free state.
- Maoists were interrogated by police officials.
- Government committed to tackling Naxalism.
Bengaluru, Jan 23 (NationPress) The police custody of six Maoists, who submitted to Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, will conclude on Thursday, and they are set to be presented before the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court.
The NIA court had previously remanded them to the custody of Chikkamagaluru Police for a duration of six days.
Insiders indicated that the Kerala Police may request custody of the surrendered Maoists.
The Maoists underwent interrogation by Koppa Deputy SP Balaji Singh and his team.
On January 8, Siddaramaiah embraced the surrendered Maoists into the mainstream by presenting them with roses and copies of the Constitution at his office, 'Krishna' in Bengaluru.
With the surrender of these six Maoists, the Congress-led government proclaimed Karnataka as a Left Wing Extremism-free state.
The individuals who surrendered included: Mundagaru Latha from Mundagaru in Sringeri, Vanajakshi from Balehole in Kalasa; Sundari from Kutluru near Mangaluru; Marappa Jayanna Aroli from Raichur; Vasantha T. (also known as Ramesh) from Tamil Nadu; and N. Jeesha from Kerala, all in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
After the Maoists surrendered, CM Siddaramaiah addressed the media, stating: "To eradicate Naxalism in Karnataka and respond to their demands, we are dedicated to implementing all necessary actions within the legal framework."
"There is no place in democracy or the Constitution for obtaining justice through armed struggle," CM Siddaramaiah emphasized.
As per reports, Mandagaru Latha, the eldest daughter of a disadvantaged tribal family from Sringeri Taluk, took up armed resistance in the year 2000 at the age of 18. Since then, she has been part of a guerrilla faction operating across Karnataka and Kerala due to threats to her family's home from the Kudremukh National Park Project.
Sundari, also a tribal woman raised in poverty, joined the Maoist party at the age of 19 in 2004 and became involved with a guerrilla group operating in Karnataka and Kerala.
Vanajakshi, the oldest member of the group, served as an uncontested member of the Gram Panchayat in 1992 and 1997. Influenced by the armed movements of that era, she believed that was the only path forward since 2000.
Jayanna Aaroli, a Dalit youth from Aaroli village in Raichur district, possesses a Bachelor's degree.
Vasantha, a B.Tech graduate from Arcot in Vellore district, Tamil Nadu, was drawn towards Maoism.
Jisha, an Adivasi woman from Makkimala in Wayanad district, Kerala, studied until the 8th grade before joining the armed struggle in Kerala in 2018. In 2023, Jeesha migrated from Kerala to Karnataka with other group members, according to sources.
