210 Maoists surrender in Chhattisgarh; CM Sai calls it a 'historic day'
Jagdalpur (PTI): As many as 210 Maoist cadres, including one Central Committee member, surrendered before authorities in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur on Friday, making it the largest mass surrender in the history of anti-Naxal operations in the state, officials said.
With this, a total of 238 Naxalites have quit the path of violence and joined the mainstream in the state in the last three days as 28 others had surrendered on Wednesday.
Hailing the development, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said it was a historic day not only for Bastar but for Chhattisgarh and the entire nation
According to officials, Friday's mass surrender - the largest in the history of anti-Naxal operations in the state - marks a decisive turning point in the government's ongoing campaign to eliminate Left-Wing Extremism.
All the cadres, who surrendered before the police and paramilitary officials in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of the Bastar district, were formally welcomed into the mainstream by tribal community leaders and priests who greeted them with red roses, symbolising love, peace and a new beginning.
The surrendered cadres, senior police and paramilitary officials and tribal community leaders later posed for photographs.
The banner behind the stage, where cadres posed for photograph, read 'Poona Margem - Punarwas se Punarjeevan- Maoist cadres rejoining the mainstream'.
Poona Margem is a rehabilitation initiative launched by Bastar Range police for Naxalites.
Addressing a press conference later, CM Sai said 210 brothers and sisters who were misguided and detached from society rejoined the mainstream today, showing faith in the Constitution, the path of non-violence as shown by Mahatma Gandhi, and the state's rehabilitation policy.
The surrendered cadres include top-rung leaders to lower-rung members, he said, congratulating and wishing them well for their future.
The state's Surrender and Rehabilitation policy has multiple provisions, including financial assistance, land benefits, benefits in the new Industrial policy and linking them with employment, he added.
The historic event is seen as a result of the central and state governments' comprehensive anti-Naxal strategy, supported by sustained efforts from the police, security forces, local administration, and the active participation of aware and vigilant communities, he said.
Senior Maoist leaders who surrendered include Rupesh alias Satish, a Central Committee member; Bhaskar alias Rajman Mandavi, Ranita, Raju Salam, Dhannu Vetti alias Santu - all four Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) members, and Ratan Elam, a Regional Committee Member, officials said.
The surrendered Maoists handed over 153 weapons, including 19 AK-47 rifles, 17 Self-Loading Rifles, 23 INSAS rifles, an INSAS LMG (light machine gun), thirty six .303 rifle, four Carbine and 11 Barrel Grenade Launcher (BGL), a police official said.
On October 2 , as many as 103 Naxalites, 49 of them carrying a collective bounty of more than Rs 1.06 crore, had surrendered in Bijapur district of Bastar region.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly underlined the government's resolve to eradicate Naxalism, largely concentrated in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, by March 31, 2026.
On Thursday, Shah declared two worst-hit regions of Chhattisgarh, Abujhmarh and North Bastar, free from Naxal terror and made it clear that those willing to surrender are welcome, but those who continue to wield guns will face the wrath of security forces.
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US renews sanctions waiver for purchase of Russian oil
Washington (PTI): The United States has extended by a month a waiver from sanctions to allow countries to buy petroleum products from Russia, days after it ruled out renewal of the special measure.
The US Department of Treasury issued an order late Friday extending the waiver from sanctions on Russian oil that is already at sea on or before April 17 through May 16.
Earlier, the US had granted an exemption from sanctions to India for buying Russian oil for a month beginning March 5. A few days later, a similar waiver was extended to several other countries, which ended on April 11.
The general licence issued by the US on Friday does not authorise any transaction involving a person, entity or joint venture located in Iran, North Korea, Cuba, or parts of Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Washington would not be renewing the waiver for Russian oil and another for Iranian oil.
The previous waiver of sanctions had made available 140 million barrels of Russian oil already loaded on ships to global markets as prices soared against the backdrop of the US war with Iran.
"Effective April 17, 2026, General License No. 134A, which was dated March 19, 2026 and expired on April 11, 2026, is replaced and superseded in its entirety by this General License No. 134B," said the order issued by the Department of Treasury.
