Chhattisgarh: 21 Naxals surrender in Kanker; hand over 18 weapons, including AK-47s
Kanker (PTI): As many as 21 Maoist cadres surrendered in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district on Sunday after handing over 18 weapons to authorities, a police official said.
They laid down arms under the 'Poona Margem: Rehabilitation through Reintegration' initiative started by Bastar Range police, the official added.
"The 21 includes Division Committee Secretary Mukesh. Thirteen are women ultras. The 21 comprise four divisional committee members, nine area committee members and eight part of the outlawed movement's lower rungs. They all belong to the Kuemari/Kiskodo Area Committee of the Keshkal Division (North Sub-Zonal Bureau) of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)," the official said.
Legal procedures are being carried out for the rehabilitation and reintegration of these 21 cadres into society, he added.
Speaking on the development, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said youth misled by the false ideology of Maoism have now started understanding that the path of development, not guns, is the right option for the future.
"The 'Puna Margem' has ended the anti-people Maoist ideology and established peace in Bastar. Today, under 'Puna Margem - Rehabilitation to Regeneration' initiative in Kanker district, 21 Naxalites renounced the path of violence and surrendered. This is significant proof of the success of our 'Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy- 2025' and 'Niyad Nella Naar Scheme', which is bringing a new wave of trust and change to Naxal-affected areas," he said on X.
Sai said his government, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, has won the trust of the people of Bastar, due to which Maoist organizations are steadily weakening and a large number of them are abandoning the path of violence.
Asserting that his government was fully committed to the rehabilitation and revival of the surrendered Naxalites, the CM said the backbone of Naxalism has been broken in the Bastar region, which is rapidly moving towards peace and development.
"Our double-engine government is committed to making the country Naxal-free by March 31, 2026," he added.
Earlier, on October 17, a total of 210 Naxalites, including Central Committee Member Rupesh alias Satish, carrying a cumulative reward of Rs 9.18 crore had surrendered in Jagdalpur in Bastar district. They also handed over 153 weapons.
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.
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2nd WT20I: Shafali, spin trio do star turns in India''s seven-wicket win
Visakhapatnam (PTI): Shafali Verma hit a blistering unbeaten 69 as India made short work of a paltry target to outclass Sri Lanka by seven wickets in the second Women’s T20 International here on Tuesday.
India now lead the five-match series 2-0 after another one-sided victory, having restricted Sri Lanka to a modest 128 for 9 through a collective display of disciplined bowling from the spin trio of seasoned Sneh Rana, ably complemented by young spinners Vaishnavi Sharma and Shree Charani.
During the chase, vice-captain Smriti Mandhana (14) fell cheaply but Shafali, enjoying new found confidence after a stellar show in the World Cup final, sent the bowlers on a leather-hunt during her 34-ball knock, winning it for her team in just 11.5 overs.
The hosts have now completed back-to-back successful chases within 15 overs which speaks volumes about the unit's sky-high confidence.
Shafali's innings had 11 punchy boundaries apart from a maximum.
The floodgates opened when left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera bowled a few flighted deliveries and Shafali would step out everytime to hit her over extra cover. Her footwork against slow bowlers was immaculate whether stepping out to loft the ball or rocking back to punch or pull.
Seeing her confidence, the newly appointed Delhi Capitals skipper Jemimah Rodrigues (26 off 15 balls) also attacked as the duo added 58 runs in just 4.3 overs.
By the time Rodrigues was out trying to hit one six too many, the match as a contest was over. Shafali completed her half-century off just 27 balls and completed the formalities in a jiffy.
Earlier, off-spinner Rana, who got a look-in after Deepti Sharma was ruled out due to fever, showed her utility keeping the Lankan batters under tight leash with figures of 1 for 11 in 4 overs, including a maiden which certainly is a rarity in T20 cricket.
Charani, who made an impression during India's ODI World Cup triumph, took 2 for 23 in her quota of overs, while Vaishnavi after an impressive debut in the opening encounter, finished with 2 for 32, not letting the Islanders get easy runs in her second spell.
The last six wickets fell for just 24 runs, but what stood out during India’s bowling effort was their superb ground fielding. After a patchy show in the previous game, the improved sharpness in the field resulted in three run-outs.
Sri Lankan skipper Chamari Athapaththu (31 off 24 balls) looked in good nick as she deposited length deliveries from seamers Kranti Gaud and Arundhati Reddy over the ropes but it was Rana, who kept her quiet by repeatedly pitching on good length.
Unable to manoeuvre the strike and with the big hits suddenly drying up, Athapaththu chanced her arm at another delivery in which Rana had shortened the length slightly.
Not having transferred the weight into the lofted shot, Athapaththu's hoick was pouched cleanly by Amanjot Kaur at long-off.
This was after Athapaththu's opening partner Vishmi Gunaratne (1) had offered a simple return catch to Gaud.
Hasini Perera (22 off 28 balls) and Harshitha Samarawickrama (33 off 32 balls) did stitch a stand of 44 but they could never set the tempo against the Indian spin troika.
Once Hasini offered a tame return catch off a Charani full-toss, Sri Lankans never recovered and lost wickets in a heap towards the end.
