Hardcore woman Maoist Pushpa Mahato, carrying a bounty of 10 lakh rupees, surrendered before Kolkata Police in West Bengal after laying down her arms following 21 years of insurgency.
Facing mounting pressure from joint security forces in Jharkhand’s Saranda forests and the Central Government’s “Maoist-Free India” campaign, she decided to abandon the path of violence.
The surrender, which took place in the presence of Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda in Kolkata, is being regarded as a major success for both the West Bengal and Jharkhand Police.
Pushpa Mahato had been active in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum and Saranda regions and was accused in several high-profile Maoist incidents, including the killing of former JMM MP Sunil Mahato and the Burudih landmine blast.
She was on the Jharkhand Police’s most-wanted list and faced multiple cases related to murder, sedition, and extortion. After surrendering, she said, the Maoist movement has no future and appealed to other insurgents still active in the forests to return to the mainstream.