In a major blow to the Maoists operating in the Narayanpatna and Bandhugaon areas in Koraput district bordering Andhra Pradesh, 104 more members of the Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS) backed by them have surrendered before the police here.
The CMAS activists, who played a major role in the kidnapping of Biju Janata Dal MlA Jhina Hikaka in March last year, promised to the police to shun violence and join the mainstream.
All these CMAS members arrived en masse at the office of the district Superintendent of Police and surrendered before Additional DG (Intelligence) Abhay, South-Western Range DIG S.Devdutta Singh and Koraput SP Awinash Kumar.
They had decided at a meeting a fortnight back to part ways with the CMAS and Maoists and avail of the Government benefits by joining the mainstream, said Nachika lingeya, a native of Bhaliaput village.
The lifestyle maintained by the surrendered members who had quit the CMAS earlier encouraged them to follow suit.
“While keeping away from our family members and society, we were spending many sleepless nights without any food deep inside the forests,” lingye added.
With this, more than 1,000 CMAS members have already surrendered, the police informed.
Deprived of Government facilities and due to the sustained police operations against them have certainly forced the activists to dissociate with the CMAS and Maoists, the police said.