Give up violence, or face action: Amit Shah to Maoists-OxBig News Network

JAGDALPUR: Home minister Amit Shah delivered a firm message to Left-wing extremists during the closing ceremony of Bastar Olympics Sunday, urging them to shun violence and choose rehabilitation.
“Give up the path of violence and we shall take care of your rehabilitation or ignore our appeal for surrender and face resolute action by the security forces… I appeal to you all with folded hands to surrender. Have trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and join the mainstream. If you give up arms, then your rehabilitation is our responsibility. But we will not allow you to destroy peace in the land of Goddess Danteshwari any more. If you give up arms, we shall welcome you with open arms but if you continue on the path of violence, the forces will tackle you head on,” Shah said as the battle against Naxals reaches their last bastion deep inside Abujhmad region in Chhattisgarh.
The action against Maoists is part of a decisive war to achieve the Modi govt’s goal of a Left-wing extremism-free India by March 2026.
Shah meets surrendered Reds, says pass on message to shun violence
Pinki, who joined CPI (Maoist) as a child in Bijapur, starting with its ‘Bal Sangathan’ or child wing, and went on to work with some senior functionaries, joined the district reserve group (DRG) of Chhattisgarh Police after her surrender in 2009. She now helps the DRG plan counter-Naxal operations.
“The Maoists had killed my entire family. Today I am a mother of two,” she said during an interaction of surrendered Maoists with home minister Amit Shah here.
Mangal, who fought as a rebel for 18 years, surrendered in 2020, “disenchanted with the Maoist ideology that “promoted only massacres and bloodshed”.
“I realised there is no future in continuing with Left-wing extremism, and surrendered. I got my vasectomy reversed and am now a proud father to a 1-1/2 year old,” he said as the home minister interacted with around 30 surrendered Maoists from Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana.
The surrendered Naxalites said all male cadres were made to undergo vasectomy by the CPI (Maoist) to avoid “any complications of starting a family”.
During the talks, the home minister junked the seating arrangements made for him on a raised platform and ensured that he interacted with the ex-Maoists, who have since been reintegrated into society and are serving either with the Chhattisgarh Police’s DRG or employed in private sector with due facilitation by the local administration, while seated across at the same level.
The surrendered rebels, who were seen enthusiastically clicking pictures of Shah, flanked by Chhattisgarh chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai, opened up on how they were forced at a very young age to join Naxalism as that was the only option they knew of and the local administration had not penetrated the Maoist bastions.
Shah too had some queries. “Are you married?” he asked a surrendered cadre from Telangana who replied in the negative. “Go get married now,” said the minister promptly.
After the interaction, Shah said, “I am the happiest person today, more than you or your family as our painstaking efforts to convince you to surrender and join the mainstream has bore fruit.”
Shah said the event may be small but was very significant. “I am getting immense satisfaction that the youth of the country are responding to our appeal, realising the futility of violence and surrendering,” he said.
“You all should pass on the message to your former colleagues that violence is not the way forward. All Naxals should come forward and surrender. Govt will take care of their needs,” the home minister added.