Rayagada:A hardcore Maoist,Bijay Punem @ Ajay,from the Bansadhara-Ghumusar-Nagavali (BGN) Division, surrendered before the Rayagada district Superintendent of Police,S.Swathi kumar today.Speaking to newsmen the SP said,Bijay was a member of the BGN Division’s Ghumsar Area Committee and was wanted in multiple cases and had carrying a reward of Rs 4 lakh on his head.He hails from the Husur police station area in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. At the time of surrender,he was carrying a pistol and eight rounds of ammunition.The fire arms ,a walkie talkie and a wrist watch seized from his possession.He was involved in multiple Maoist activities,including armed encounters with security forces in Odisha’s Kandhamal district and neighbouring Chhattisgarh.Bijay joined the CPI (Maoist) in 2009. After receiving initial training, he worked as a personal security guard for Modem Balakrishna alias Manoj. In 2014, he was promoted from party member to Area Commander Member (ACM) and worked for the BGN Division. Later, in 2024, he came to Odisha and took leadership of the Ghumsar Area Committee under the BGN Division.However, he faced various difficulties, including mental torture, food and water scarcity, and regular operations by security forces. He also faced language barriers and differences within the Maoist camp, which led him to decide to surrender,the SP said.Odisha government’s Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy has been instrumental in encouraging ultras to give up violence and join the mainstream. Under this policy, surrendered Maoists receive financial assistance, housing support, education, and vocational training to help them become self-reliant.The SP said,Bijay told police that his wife and others in mao group would surrender soon.Steps would be taken to provide the assured facilities by Odisha govt to maoist Bijay,the SP added.
