Chhattisgarh: Bastar cops release ‘most wanted’, top Maoists’ poster

RAIPUR: Bastar police on Saturday released a poster on 34 most wanted Maoists, with their photos and bounties on each, and sought information that would lead to their capture.
The list begins with Maoist commanders Gaganna Rao, Ganapati, Kattakam Sudarshan and Venugopal alias Bhhupati, who carry rewards of Rs 1 crore each.
There are two women among the dreaded 34, each carrying cash rewards of Rs 25 lakh.Interestingly, they share the same name/alias “Sujata”.
Nine of the Maoists carry bounties of Rs 40 lakh each and 17 carry rewards of Rs 25 lakh each. The elusive Hidma, involved in most of the major attacks in Chhattisgarh, finds place on the list with a picture.
“Maoist commanders need to be identified and marked out so that the terror of Maoists can be uprooted. Hence, this profile of ‘most wanted Maoists’ has been prepared and released,” Bastar IG P Sundarraj said.
The poster appeals to people to pass on information to police. “Help police in freeing Bastar from their terror,” it says, assuring that informers’ identities will be kept confidential. The names and phone numbers of Bastar IG, SPs of all districts in Bastar division and DIGs are mentioned for people to contact.
Bastar police said that more than 1,800 innocent people have been killed since 2000 and property worth crores destroyed and damaged by Maoists. The rebels have all along tried to disrupt Bastar’s development, and the Maoist commanders have to be brought to justice, police say.
“The senior cadres from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra and other states had been brainwashing and misleading tribals in Bastar. But the peace-loving people of Bastar have now started recognizing their anti-development and anti-human faces, which is why local cadres are giving up arms and coming forward to surrender. Many women and other cadres have joined mainstream by abandoning the ideology of Maoists and are now contributing in development activities,” IG Sundarraj said in a statement.
He has appealed to local cadres to shun violence and surrender to join the mainstream and lead a better life.