Bhubaneswar, February 7 A day after surrendering to the Odisha Police along with his wife and 13 others, Maoist leader Niranjan Rout alias Nikhil, on Saturday, appealed to the underground insurgents to abandon violence and return to the mainstream.
Nikhil (45) and his 42-year-old wife, Rashmira Lenka, also known as Indu, were both members of the state committee, and each of them had a reward of Rs 55 lakh. They were welcomed into mainstream society at a function attended by ADGP (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sanjeeb Panda and other senior officials.
Overwhelmed by the gesture of the Odisha Police, Nikhil released an audio message to all his comrades, urging them to abandon violence and join the mainstream.
"Since I could not contact you all before surrendering, I now urge everyone to abandon violence and accept the Odisha Police's surrender and rehabilitation policy," said Nikhil, a resident of the Jagatsinghpur district.
The surrendered insurgents expressed confidence in the democratic setup and admitted that there was no point in waging war against the state when the administration was taking people-centric measures.
"The surrender of 15 Maoists reflects the steadily declining influence of the left-wing extremist ideology in the region and the growing trust of misguided youth in the government's development-oriented and people-centric approach," said Panda, while appreciating the sustained operation by security forces from SOG, DVF, CRPF, and BSF.
The ADGP said that Odisha was heading towards a "Naxal-free" state, as there were estimated to be 30 to 35 red rebels remaining underground.
"We hope that all of them will come forward and accept the state's surrender and rehabilitation scheme," said Panda.
He said that the 15 surrendered Maoists comprised two members of the state committee, one member of the divisional committee, five members of the area committee, and eight members of the party. Together, they had a reward of 1.98 crore.
They surrendered 14 weapons, including 2 AK 47 rifles, 5 SLRs, 1 INSAS, 1 stengun, 1 .303, 4 single shot rifles, and a large quantity of ammunition. The reward for the weapons is about 16 lakhs, he said.
The 15-member group belonged to the BGN division (Banshadhara, Ghuman, Nagabali) and was operating in the Rayagada, Kandhamal, Gajapati, and Kalahandi districts, Panda said, adding that Nikhil had joined the Maoist outfit in 2004 and he had been active in BGN since 2008.
"After the killing of Central Committee Member Ganesh Uike in Kandhamal in December 2025, Nikhil was the next highest-ranking Maoist in the state," said the ADGP, adding that so far, Nuapada, Nawarangpur, Malkangiri, Koraput, and Boudh districts have become completely Naxal-free.
Panda appealed to other Maoists to abandon violence and surrender to the police, assuring them of all possible assistance as per the surrender policy.