Three senior leaders of the banned CPI Maoist organisation surrendered before West Bengal Police in Bankura district, marking another significant development in the security situation across the Junglemahal and adjoining Bengal Jharkhand region.
The surrender took place on September 23 in the presence of senior West Bengal Police officials, including Anand Kumar, Additional Director General and Inspector General of Police for the Western Zone, and Bankura Superintendent of Police P V G Satish. The three surrendered under the state government’s surrender cum rehabilitation policy.
The surrendered leaders have been identified as Jaba Mahato, also known by the aliases Bulu and Gori, Nayantara Sahu, also known as Mita and Jhuma, and Ramprasad Mandi, who has used the aliases Mahadev and Sachin. Police described Jaba Mahato and Nayantara Sahu as zonal committee members, while Ramprasad Mandi was identified as a regional committee member of CPI Maoist.
According to police, the three individuals were active for several years in areas covering Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore in West Bengal, as well as parts of East Singhbhum and the Kolhan region of neighbouring Jharkhand. Their activities were reportedly connected with the wider Maoist network operating across the Bengal Jharkhand forest belt.
The surrendered leaders handed over firearms and ammunition to the police. Reports from the West Bengal Police said the weapons included one AK 47 rifle and two INSAS rifles, along with magazines and live ammunition. Telegraph India reported that the surrendered group handed over 10 magazines and 154 rounds of ammunition. Police said the weapons had earlier been taken from security personnel during Maoist operations.
The surrender has taken place against the backdrop of continuing security operations against Maoist networks in the region. Police officials said sustained operations by security forces had put pressure on remaining Maoist groups operating in the forest areas along the West Bengal and Jharkhand border.
The Bengal Jharkhand region has historically been associated with Maoist activity, particularly in forested areas of Junglemahal. The region includes parts of West Bengal’s Jhargram, Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore districts and adjoining areas of Jharkhand. Security agencies have continued operations aimed at locating Maoist cadres, recovering weapons and disrupting the organisation’s support and logistics networks.
West Bengal Police said the latest surrender followed efforts by the Bankura police to establish contact with the Maoist leaders. According to officials, the surrendered leaders approached the police through intermediaries after facing increasing operational pressure and difficulties in maintaining their network.
Police also said that the three leaders were collectively named in more than 75 criminal cases, while another police account put the number at around 80 cases registered in West Bengal and Jharkhand. The reported cases include serious offences such as murder and cases registered under laws relating to unlawful activities, arms and explosives. The exact number and status of individual cases will depend on the records of the respective police stations and courts.
The surrender does not automatically bring an end to the criminal cases against the individuals. West Bengal Police officials said criminal proceedings would continue according to law. Police also said the surrendered individuals would be interrogated in phases because of their alleged involvement in multiple cases.
The state’s surrender cum rehabilitation policy provides a route for Maoist cadres who decide to abandon armed activity and return to civilian life. Officials said the three individuals would be considered for rehabilitation through the prescribed screening process. Their eligibility for specific rehabilitation benefits will be determined under the applicable government rules and procedures.
The surrender also follows the arrest of senior CPI Maoist leader Asim Mandal, also known by the aliases Akash, Timir and Manoj. Mandal was arrested by the Special Task Force of Kolkata Police earlier in September. He had been described by authorities as a senior leader of the banned organisation and had been wanted in several cases.
The arrest of senior Maoist leaders and the surrender of other cadres have occurred amid intensified security operations in the Bengal Jharkhand forest belt. Security agencies have been conducting operations in areas where Maoist networks have historically operated, while state authorities have also used surrender and rehabilitation measures for cadres willing to leave the organisation.
The latest surrender is notable because two of the three individuals were identified by police as members of a zonal committee, while Ramprasad Mandi was described as a regional committee member. Their surrender therefore involves individuals who, according to police, held organisational responsibilities within the banned group.
Police said Ramprasad Mandi told authorities after his surrender that the circumstances that had earlier led him to take up arms had changed. He reportedly said that he no longer saw a reason to continue armed activity and referred to development and welfare measures being carried out by the government. His statement represents his personal explanation for the decision to surrender.
The development has also drawn attention to the role of rehabilitation programmes in addressing Left Wing Extremism. Such programmes are intended to provide individuals who leave armed groups with a pathway back into civilian life, while criminal cases involving alleged offences remain subject to the legal process.
For the authorities, the surrender provides an opportunity to obtain information about the remaining organisational structure, weapons locations and support networks associated with Maoist activity. Police officials said the surrendered individuals had information about arms dumps and other aspects of the organisation’s operations. Any information provided by them will be assessed by investigators as part of ongoing investigations.
For the surrendered individuals, the rehabilitation process will depend on the government’s prescribed rules and the outcome of the screening process. Surrender itself does not mean that criminal allegations or court proceedings are automatically withdrawn.
The latest development comes at a time when security agencies are continuing efforts to reduce Maoist activity across the Bengal Jharkhand border areas. The combination of security operations, intelligence gathering and surrender and rehabilitation programmes remains part of the government’s broader approach to dealing with Left Wing Extremism.
The surrender of Jaba Mahato, Nayantara Sahu and Ramprasad Mandi therefore represents another development in the ongoing security situation in Junglemahal. Police investigations into the cases linked to the three individuals will continue, while their eligibility for rehabilitation will be considered under the West Bengal government’s existing policy.
The authorities have not indicated that the surrender ends all Maoist activity in the region. Instead, police have described it as part of continuing efforts to dismantle remaining networks and encourage cadres to abandon armed activity through the available surrender and rehabilitation mechanism.