Overview

• Bhupathi and 60 others formally laid down arms before Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who announced rehabilitation measures and distributed copies of the Constitution along with Rs 5.24 crore in rewards.
• The group included senior ranks of the CPI (Maoist), with a central committee figure, state zonal committee members and 10 divisional committee members; Bhupathi carried a bounty of about Rs 6 crore.
• Authorities said 54 weapons were handed over, including AK-47s, SLRs and INSAS rifles, after the cadres first entered police custody late on October 13–14 near Bhamragad.
• Police and officials attributed the surrender to weeks of back‑channel talks, security pressure and Bhupathi’s stated disillusionment with armed struggle and internal rifts within the Maoist leadership.
• The Gadchiroli surrender was part of reported totals of about 139 Maoists who gave up arms over two days in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, a development leaders say advances the goal of ending the insurgency by March 31, 2026.