Naxalism will soon be eradicated from Maharashtra: Fadnavis 

Chief Minister Fadnavis vows to eradicate Naxalism in Maharashtra, as 11 Naxalites surrender in Gadchiroli, offering hope for peace.

Naxalism will soon be eradicated from Maharashtra, said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during his first visit to the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli region on New Year’s Day. In his presence, 11 Naxalites, including senior cadre Vimla Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka surrendered at the Gadchiroli police headquarters.

Of the 11 Maoists who have been in the Naxalite movement for 34 years, eight are women and three are men and among them, two are couples.

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These Maoists had a reward of ₹1.03 crore on their head as they were involved in launching attacks on security personnel. The most prominent among the surrendered Maoists is Dandkaranya Zonal Committee Member Vimla Chandra Sidam alias Tarakka who had been involved in the Naxalist movement for the last 38 years.

Spending the first day of 2025 in Gadchiroli, the Chief Minister said Maharashtra was on the road to become free from the Naxal menace as there had been increasing number of Maoists who were coming out and laying down arms before the police. In 2024, 33 Naxals were killed, 55 arrested and 33 surrendered.

“Naxalism is coming towards an end in Maharashtra as Maoist dominance in many parts of the district has ended. The Gadchiroli Police almost eradicated Naxal activities in the district. North Gadchiroli is now free of Maoist activities, and south Gadchiroli too soon would be free from Naxals,” Mr. Fadnavis said at the meeting with police officials and while addressing journalists.

He said that in the last four to five years, there had not been any fresh recruitment of the Maoist cadres in the district and that many dreaded Naxals were either neutralised or arrested in the past years. “Several Naxal commanders have surrendered and disassociated themselves from the movement as they have come to a realisation that Naxalism is just a hollow ideology, and this step has broken the backbone of the outlawed movement. They are convinced that they will get justice only through the constitutional institutions.”