Roses, the Constitution, and posing for cameras: As 210 Naxals lay down arms in Abujhmad, why it’s a big deal

With 210 Maoists from Chhattisgarh’s Abujhmad, also known as Maad, laying down their arms, Naxalism in the area that was once a stronghold of the rebels “is almost over”, police said.

Among those who laid down arms was Takkalappalli Vasudeva Rao, alias Rupesh, 59, who is known as the Maoists’ bombmaker and was a key leader of the group.

In the 1980s, Maoists from undivided Andhra Pradesh came to the Bastar region and made Abujhmad — a large and unsurveyed forest area larger than Goa — their den. For four decades since then, the Bastar region has seen the killing of thousands of villagers and security personnel.

Now, however, Vivekanand Sinha, Additional Director General of Police (Naxal Operations), told The Indian Express: “Naxalism from Maad is almost over.”

This comes after months of stepped-up anti-Maoist operations. Since 2024, over 100 Maoists, including top leaders, have been gunned down in and around Abujhmad.

On Friday, in the presence of ADGP Sinha and other senior officers of the Bastar police and the paramilitary forces, the 210 Maoists handed over their 153 weapons, including automatic guns like 19 AK47 rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, 17 Self Loading Rifles (SLR), and 36 .303 guns in Jagdalpur city of Bastar district.

‘Historic day’

It was a stark moment in which Bastar police welcomed the Maoists with roses and a copy of the Constitution. Keeping their differences aside, Maoists and security forces posed together before the cameras, with the Maoists holding the roses and the Constitution. From the stage, Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range Sundarraj P dedicated the success to scores of security personnel killed in the conflict.

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Terming it a “historic day for India”, a visibly emotional Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said, “I used to feel very sad as those dying were our own and those killing were also our own. When we learnt in our first meeting that 77% of Naxalism in India is in Chhattisgarh, we decided that we have to resolve this issue.”

“It’s a historic day, not only for Chhattisgarh, but India, as the 210 Maoists who were misled and got cut out from society have shown trust in Gandhi ji’s non-violence, the Indian Constitution and our rehabilitation policy,” Sai said.

“The entire Maad division has dropped weapons. The Gadchiroli unit did it in Maharashtra. The whole of north Bastar, except for the Keshkal unit, has returned. The whole of Company 1 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), and Company 10, have dropped weapons. Even Company 5, except for a few, have returned. The northwest is now clear,” said Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma, who said they would use the word “rehabilitated” for Maoists dropping weapons, instead of the word “surrendered”.

The give and take

On talks between the Maoists and the government, Sharma said, “Some discussions took place. Under the guidance of the Chief Minister and the central leadership, a decision was taken. The Maoists had said the ban on the Moolvasi Bachao Manch (a group fighting for tribal rights in Bastar that was banned last year) must be lifted. CM Sai decided that the ban would not be extended after it ends on October 30. It was also decided that among the rehabilitated Maoists, only those who want to will join the DRG (the District Reserve Guard, a specialised force raised to fight Maoists). Earlier, too, this was the case. In the DRG force, only 10% are those who were rehabilitated.”

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The Maoists also told the government that they wanted “their people who are in jail” to be released, the minister said. “In reply, we communicated the decision of the central leadership and the Chief Minister that those who are in jail and want to change their status to rehabilitated… we will do it,” he said.

“This was how the honourable Vishnu Deo Sai’s sensitive government had a discussion with the Maoists… The Maoists asked for things that our government was already ready to implement. So, when we received their message, we said we could do it. Everything was compatible, so we told them to come,” Home Minister Sharma said.

Before laying down arms, Rupesh said in an interview with the YouTube channel, Bastar Talkies: “We have some demands for the Adivasi people here. None of our demands are for personal gain. HM Vijay Sharma ji has agreed to three of our top demands, and only after that did we agree to come out.”

Among the other demands that Rupesh said he would put forward were: A promise not to pressure tribals into being displaced for the Bodhghat dam project or the Army Manoeuvre range project; the application of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act in its right spirit to empower gram sabhas; giving tribals 26% ownership in mines; giving 10 acres of land to tribals; bringing Abujhmad under Schedule 6 of the Constitution, which grants autonomy to tribal areas; bringing a code for tribals and putting them under the ‘Hindu’ column in the Census; and action on the 2019 judicial inquiry reports in the Sarkeguda and Edesmeta cases of alleged fake encounters.

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