22 top Maoists surrender before DGP in Odisha's Malkangiri district

IN what is being seen as a watershed moment in Odisha's fight against Left-Wing extremism (LWE), as many as 22 Naxals, including a divisional committee member (DVCM) and six area committee members (ACMs), surrendered and laid down their weapons before DGP YB Khurania in Malkangiri district on Tuesday.

- EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE

Among those who renounced violence, seven were senior cadres, including divisional committee member and commander of platoon number-31 Linge alias Muye Madkam, and six ACMs. The remaining 15 were party members.

All the Maoists, 12 men and 10 women, are natives of neighbouring Chhattisgarh's Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur districts. While 19 were members of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, two belonged to Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee and one from Gadchiroli Area Committee. They handed over one AK-47, a self-loading rifle, two INSAS, three .303 rifles, two single shot/12 bore rifles, 150 rounds of live ammunition, nine magazines, 20 kg of explosives, 13 IEDs, gelatin sticks, codex wire and other articles.