The Joint Force (JF) has achieved a major breakthrough in Jharkhand amid the central government’s crackdown on Maoist-free India. Jharkhand Government special rehabilitation scheme ‘Operation Navjivan’ is called forper In response, 25 armed Maoist leaders abandoned the path of violence and surrendered to the government. All these Maoists have been active in the dense forests of Saranda for a long time. Two members of Jharkhand Janamukti Parishad, another armed group in Jharkhand, have also taken refuge with the government. Joint forces have recovered a large quantity of deadly weapons and ammunition from the surrendered militants.
A reward of Rs 5 lakh each has been announced for the heads of five of the 25 Maoists who surrendered, police and joint force sources said. The most notorious and vicious Maoist leader is Rekha Munda alias Jayanthi, a resident of Ranchi, who conducted several major militancy operations in the Saranda jungle. The other four Maoist leaders are Gadi Munda, Nagendra Munda, Segen Angaria and Suleiman Hachda.
Among those who surrendered are 13 general cadres of CPI-Maoist organizations, six core members of sub-zonal committees and six core members of area committees. All these members are residents of Saibasa and Giridi areas of West Singhbhum. Insak rifles, country pistols and around 2,800 rounds of ammunition were seized from them. Several magazines and 130 rounds of ammunition were also recovered from Sachin Baig and Shravan Gope, two surrendered members of Jharkhand Janamukti Parishad.
According to statistics, 44 armed Maoists were arrested in Jharkhand in 2026 and 22 were killed in police firing. However, despite continuous operations by the central government, around 40 to 45 Maoists are still fighting to the death in the Saranda jungle. Most of the group’s members are from West Bengal and include Michir Bechra, Asim Das and the once infamous woman commander Meera Paharia.
Not only the Maoists, another armed group active in Jharkhand, the Third Prepared Committee (TPC) is yet to completely end their dominance. The Jharkhand government said that 21 advanced army camps were set up in jungle areas to crack down on Maoists, resulting in major success in conducting anti-militancy operations and bringing them back into the mainstream.
