Who is Sunita, the Rs 14 Lakh Bounty Naxalite Who Surrendered in Madhya Pradesh

Sunita, a woman Naxalite carrying a Rs 14 lakh bounty, surrendered in MP's Balaghat on November 1. Once an armed guard of top Maoist leader Ramder, she was active across 3 states. CM Mohan Yadav called her surrender the first under MP’s 2023 policy.

A top woman Naxalite carrying a reward of Rs 14 lakh on her head surrendered before police in Balaghat district, Madhya Pradesh, on November 1, officials said. The surrender took place before Rupendra Dhurve, Assistant Commander of the Hawk Force, a specialised anti-Naxal unit of the state police.

An armed guard of a senior Maoist leader 

According to police, Sunita was an armed guard of Ramder, a senior member of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) and in charge of the NMC Zone. She had been active across three states, namely Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh, and carried an INSAS rifle at the time of surrender. Officials said she was on the radar of multiple security agencies and had been declared a high-value target, with her bounty jointly announced by the Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh police.

From Chhattisgarh’s forests to cross-state operations 

Sunita hailed from Gomveta village in Bhairamgarh tehsil of Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, a region long affected by Maoist violence. She reportedly joined the CPI (Maoist) in 2022, receiving her initial training in the Madh area of Chhattisgarh, before taking part in operations in Balaghat (MP), Gondia (Maharashtra), and Rajnandgaon (Chhattisgarh). Police sources said her surrender marks a major breakthrough in curbing cross-border Maoist movement in central India.

First under MP's 2023 surrender policy 

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav welcomed her surrender, calling it “a positive result of the stern warning given by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Naxalites to either surrender or face strict action.” “This is the first surrender under the Madhya Pradesh Surrender, Rehabilitation and Relief Policy 2023,” Yadav said. “It is also the first time since 1992 that a Naxalite from another state has surrendered before the Madhya Pradesh government.”

A sign of waning Naxal strength in MP

The Chief Minister also noted that in the last 10 months, Naxalites with a combined reward of Rs 1.46 crore have been eliminated in operations across Madhya Pradesh. Officials said Sunita’s decision to surrender could encourage other Maoist cadres to follow suit, particularly those operating in border regions where police and security forces have intensified their operations. Her surrender is seen as a symbolic blow to the Maoist network operating in central India, which has been losing ground due to increased surveillance, joint-force actions, and rehabilitation schemes designed to help surrendered rebels reintegrate into society.

(With inputs from agencies)