Nirmal District Superintendent of Police C. Shashidhar Raju on Friday offered to withdraw cases against the Maoists who opt to surrender. He said the withdrawal of cases would be done as per the government’s rules and guidelines on surrender of Naxalites.
Collector M. Prashanthi assured the surrendered cadres, and those who are still underground, of sanctioning all the benefits that they will be eligible under the surrender policy. The two officials were addressing the kin of underground extremists and those who had surrendered at a ‘surrender mela’ at Nirmal where the latter made an appeal to the members of the families to urge their near and dear ones to leave the path of violence and join the mainstream.
Ms. Prashanthi gave away cheques for ₹ 5,000 each towards immediate relief to former Maoist central committee member Oggu Satwaji and his wife Vaidgula Aruna and Pendram Gangubai and Markam Sunil who had surrendered in February. The former had surrendered in the presence of Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy and the latter in the presence of Mr. Shashidhar Raju.
The SP has taken up an initiative in recent months terming it as Operation Surrender in which teams of officials, sometimes headed by himself, visit the parents and close relatives of the Maoists who are still underground. The two couples had surrendered as a result of this policy.
Mr. Raju made an appeal to the underground naxalites to surrender. His appeal was specially aimed at Irri Mohan Reddy, Kanthi Lingavva, Soyam Gosibai and Tumu Srinu from Nirmal district, Mylarapu Adellu from Adilabad, Gaddam Madhukar and Soudrolla Ankubai from Kumram Bheem Asifabad district and Katakan Sudershan, Kasaraboina Ravi, Salakula Saroja, Arepalli Krishna, Jadi Pushpa, Jadi Venkati, Bandi Prakash, Babbera Ravi Babu, Athram Lachanna and Mula Devender Reddy from Mancherial district.
