The state government on Wednesday for the first time announced the surrender and rehabilitation policy for the Naxals and the Maoists. According to it, if a Naxal or Maoist surrenders, he or she will get Rs 2,000 per month for 36 months, besides getting vocational training at free of cost.
The government will also make a fixed deposit of Rs 1.5 lakh in his or her name in a bank. The person who will surrender can withdraw this fixed deposit after three years, provided that he or she returns to normal life. Significantly, the state government has also announced that the Maoists sympathisers (read the members of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities) would get benefit of this policy if they surrender before the police.
State director general of police Bhupinder Singh said, “Since many Maoists have expressed their willingness to surrender, the government has felt that it was the right time to announce this policy.”
A committee will be set up to examine the applications for surrender from the rebels. According to this policy, if a rebel surrenders with arms and ammunitions, he or she will get cash depending on the nature of arms and ammunitions. While a rebel will get Rs 25,000 by surrendering a machine gun, surrendering a AK-47 will give him or her Rs 15,000. The amounts are Rs 3,000 and Rs 10,000 for a revolver and a satellite phone respectively.
After surrender, court proceedings will be continued for the hard core rebels but the police will not oppose to any bail application filed by those who have committed minor crimes.