SAA event in Maharashtra, Gadchiroli District area, India on Tue 31st March 2026

Nine senior Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres crossed Indravati River from Chhattisgarh into Maharashtra and surrendered before Gadchiroli Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Gadchiroli District of Maharashtra on March 31, reports The Times of India. The cadres had moved from Bijapur region in Chhattisgarh through the forests of Indravati National Park, entering Maharashtra in a coordinated operation before laying down their arms. Those surrendered included three area committee-level cadres and six other members, all considered hardcore cadres with a combined bounty of INR 3 million declared by Maharashtra government. Among them were two women — Shanti Wadde and Sukki Kunjam — who surrendered with AK-47 rifle and 30 live cartridges. Wadde, carrying a INR 600,000 reward, served as Area Committee Member (ACM) in the Indravati Local Organisational Squad (LOS) of the Maoists. Acting on information provided by the surrendered cadres, joint teams of Gadchiroli Police and CRPF recovered an AK-47 rifle, three magazines, 57 live rounds, three walkie-talkies, four batteries, and 20 pen drives from Kummar Forest area near Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border under Kawande Police Station limits. Subsequent operations in coordination with Chhattisgarh Police led to further recoveries from Gundapur area of Indravati National Park, including two 7.62 Self Loading Rifle (SLR), rifles, a single-shot weapon, and 50 detonators.