Did a Hardcore Woman Maoist Surrender in Koraput, Leading to LWE-Free Status?
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Bhubaneswar, Feb 5 (NationPress) A notorious underground female member of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) group surrendered to the Koraput police in Odisha on Thursday.
The individual, known as Mamata Podiami, alias Mamita and Soni, hails from Bijapur district in adjacent Chhattisgarh. She held the rank of an ACM (Area Committee Member) within the CPI (Maoist) structure.
Following Mamata's surrender, the Odisha Police announced on Thursday that Koraput district, which has been severely impacted by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), is now classified as Naxal-free.
The surrender was witnessed by senior officials from the Odisha Police and the Border Security Force at Jeypore in Koraput.
During this event, the surrendered ACM cadre also relinquished one SLR along with 10 live rounds of ammunition.
“Just a day after Malkangiri district was declared free of Naxals, we are now declaring Koraput district free from Naxal activities following this significant surrender,” stated Kanwar Vishal Singh, DIG of the South Western Range, Koraput.
Mamata is implicated in several incidents involving exchanges of fire (EoF) and various anti-government and anti-national activities along the borders of Odisha and Chhattisgarh, pending verification.
In a statement to the media, Singh remarked that in accordance with the Odisha government’s rehabilitation policy, the surrendered ACM cadre Maoist will receive Rs 5.50 lakh, plus an additional Rs 1.65 lakh for surrendering with the SLR rifle, along with various other financial benefits.
It is noteworthy that another hardcore ACM-rank CPI (Maoist) cadre, Sukhram Markam alias Suresh and Yogesh, from Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, surrendered to the Malkangiri Police in Odisha on Wednesday.
“The surrender of this operational and ideological leader of CPI (Maoist) signifies a substantial setback for Maoist forces in Malkangiri, which has now been declared Naxal-free,” announced Malkangiri Police on Wednesday.
In December of the previous year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that Odisha is on the verge of becoming entirely free from LWE.
The government is committed to eradicating LWE from the nation by March 31, 2026.