Two CPI (Maoist) leaders operating in Jharkhand's Saranda forest surrendered to Kolkata Police after realizing the futility of armed struggle. Mangal and Malati, who served as bodyguards for an arrested senior leader and carried cash rewards of ₹7 lakh each, chose to leave the path of violence. Police officials noted that their surrender reflects the ongoing decline and eventual end of the decades-long Maoist insurgency in India.

Two CPI (Maoist) leaders operating in Jharkhand's Saranda forest surrendered to Kolkata Police after realizing the futility of armed struggle. Mangal and Malati, who served as bodyguards for an arrested senior leader and carried cash rewards of ₹7 lakh each, chose to leave the path of violence. Police officials noted that their surrender reflects the ongoing decline and eventual end of the decades-long Maoist insurgency in India.

Two CPI (Maoist) leaders operating in Jharkhand's Saranda forest surrendered to Kolkata Police after realizing the futility of armed struggle. Mangal and Malati, who served as bodyguards for an arrested senior leader and carried cash rewards of ₹7 lakh each, chose to leave the path of violence. Police officials noted that their surrender reflects the ongoing decline and eventual end of the decades-long Maoist insurgency in India.

Two CPI (Maoist) leaders, who operated in the Saranda forest of Jharkhand, surrendered to Kolkata Police on Friday. The two had worked under the leadership of Asim Mondol, alias Akash, who was arrested in September this year. Mangal and Malati, both of whom hail from West Bengal, worked as Akash’s bodyguards.

The duo joined the Maoist organisation in 2010 and had been operating in Jharkhand since 2011. Mangal hails from Salboni in Paschim Medinipur district, while Malati hails from Gopiballavpur in Jhargram. Mangal initially operated in the Dalma region, where Malati later joined him, before the two moved to Jharkhand. A cash reward of ₹7 lakh each had been announced for their arrest.

“When the situation became difficult in Saranda (forest), they decided to surrender. There were a total of 13 members from West Bengal who were arrested at various locations,” said Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nand.

“After being with the party day after day, we realised that it is not possible to change society with arms. We want to leave the path of violence and return to mainstream society,” said Mangal.

The police commissioner said that Mangal was close to slain Maoist leader Koteswar Rao, also known as Kishenji, who was killed in an encounter in 2011. Mangal, however, was unable to provide further details about his association with Kishenji. The duo said they had not returned to West Bengal since 2012.

“There has been no incident since 2012. However, their squad members were in Jharkhand. Some came here from Jharkhand to surrender, while others were arrested by Jharkhand Police. One surrendered there, while the rest were arrested or surrendered here,” added Nand, confirming that no known Maoists remain in the state.

The Maoist, or Naxalite, movement originated in 1967 in Naxalbari, a village in West Bengal. It subsequently spread to other states, including Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and parts of Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. These areas came to be known as the Red Corridor, where Maoist attacks claimed the lives of civilians and police personnel.

The attacks included ambushes, landmine explosions, improvised explosive device (IED) blasts and attacks on trains. After Kishenji was killed in an encounter, the Maoist movement gradually weakened over the years. The Union government officially declared India free of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), also known as the Maoist insurgency, on March 31, 2026, marking the end of nearly six decades of insurgency.

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