Villagers in Gadchiroli turn in 26 muzzle-loading guns, marking shift away from Maoist past

Villagers from the jurisdiction of Police Station Wangeturi in Gadchiroli district voluntarily surrendered 26 muzzle-loading guns (bharmar guns) and 11 gun barrels to the local police. With the extensive forest cover in Gadchiroli, residents of remote and forested areas have depended on hunting alongside farming for their livelihood for a long time. Many villagers traditionally own firearms, and some villagers even inherited them to protect themselves from wild animals or for hunting. Maoist groups, active in the past in these regions, often exploited these circumstances and influenced or recruited locals into their movement.

Gadchiroli police, Superintendent of Police (SP) Neelotpal (IPS) had recently appealed to citizens to voluntarily surrender their firearms at the nearest police stations.

Responding to this appeal residents from the villages of Mouza Hindur, Nainwadi, and Todgatta came forward and handed over their weapons at Wangeturi police station. The initiative was carried out under the leadership of sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Hedri, Yogesh Ranjankar, along with the support of police station Wangeturi’s in-charge officer, sub-inspector Dilip Khadtare, assistant police inspectors Sadulwar and Kale, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials.

According to police records, citizens of Gadchiroli district have surrendered 73 muzzle-loading guns (bharmar guns) in 2022, 46 in 2023, 26 in 2024, and 29 guns along with 12 barrels so far in 2025. In total, 365 such firearms have been handed over to the police in recent years.