Senior Maoist Papa Rao Surrenders with 17 Cadres in Chhattisgarh

In Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, senior Maoist commander Papa Rao surrendered along with 17 other cadres on March 25, 2026, in a ceremony at Jagdalpur, marking a pivotal moment in the state's campaign against left-wing extremism just days before the national deadline to eradicate the insurgency.

The group, which included seven women, laid down arms under the state government's "Poona Margem" rehabilitation and reintegration program. Authorities recovered 18 weapons from them, including AK-47 rifles, self-loading rifles, INSAS rifles, .303 rifles, a 9 mm pistol, and a barrel grenade launcher, along with 1.2 million rupees in cash. The surrendered cadres carried a combined bounty of 8.7 million rupees, with Rao alone valued at 2.5 million rupees for his long-standing role in the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Rao, also known by aliases such as Ashok, Sunnam Chandrayya, and Mangu, joined the Maoist movement in 1997 as a school dropout. He rose to become secretary of the South Sub-Zonal Bureau and in charge of operations in West Bastar, overseeing the Pamed-Usur Area Committee from 2018. Police records list 48 cases against him across Bijapur, Sukma, and Dantewada...