Bengaluru, Jan 8 (IANS): Six maoists operating in the coastal and hilly regions of Karnataka came out of the forests in the Chikkamagaluru district on Wednesday, and headed to Bengaluru to surrender before Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The maoists are likely to reach Bengaluru at 3 pm and are scheduled to meet CM Siddaramaiah at his home office, Krishna, in Bengaluru to surrender.
'Shantigaagi Naagarikara Vedike (Citizens Forum for Peace)' is facilitating the surrender process. Sirimane Nagaraj, attached to Vedike said on Wednesday that this is the last batch of the maoists who are going to surrender before the Chief Minister. “It is CM Siddaramaiah’s wish that the maoists should surrender before him and in that backdrop, our team along with naxals are heading to Bengaluru,” he stated.
Ashok, another member of the forum said there is no confusion with the surrender process. "Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is concerned and the surrender is being done as per the call given by him. Among the six naxals two are from neighbouring states and they do not have any serious charges against them. The two only face petty charges," he added.
B.T. Lalita Naik, former minister and also a member of the forum, who played an important role in the surrender process, stated, "The maoists have maintained that their self-esteem and self-respect were important. “With the confidence of getting their demands fulfilled, the naxals are coming forward to surrender. The state government led by CM Siddaramaiah has the mindset to respect their feelings. The naxals are coming forward as CM Siddaramaiah is at the helm and with the belief that only he can ensure justice."
“This is because they face hundreds of cases. The state government takes care of crores of people and it won’t be a challenge for them to take care of six persons who want to get back to the mainstream,” she stated.
Home Minister G. Parameshwara, speaking to the media in Bengaluru, stated, “I can only say that naxals are surrendering. The rest of the matters can not be discussed. We will inform you later about their demands and our plans. We had given a call for the surrender. After the encounter of Vikram Gowda, I announced that the naxals should surrender and requested them to shun their path. On those lines, senior and junior officers attached to the Anti-Naxal Force have worked,” he stated.
“The ANF officers have appealed to them why they should be in forests and asked them to come to the mainstream. It is true that they have cases, including the murder charges, we will see what legal provisions we have once the surrender process is over,” he stated.
Maoists Mundagaru Latha from Mundagaru in Sringeri, Vanajakshi from Balehoe in Kalasa, Sundari from Kuntaluru near Mangaluru, Marappa Aroli from Raichur, Vasantha T. from Tamil Nadu, and N. Jeesha from Kerala are surrendering before the CM.