The police in Odisha’s Malkangiri district celebrated the Women’s Day through a special ceremony that included the surrender of a female Maoist cadre from Chhattisgarh and honouring of 15 former women Maoists from the district, who had surrendered in the past.
At the event, held at the district police headquarter on Sunday, Debe Sodi, 22, a Maoist having ₹4 lakh rupees reward on her head, surrendered before the Malkangiri Superintendent of Police (SP) Rishikesh Dnyandeo Khilari. Sodi hailed from Kusaraj village of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh and was an area committee member of Katakalyan area committee under Darva division of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) organisation.
Fifteen former female Maoists, who had surrendered in the past, were invited with their family.
According to Mr. Khilari, these women were also provided free medical check up for breast and cervical cancer at the Malkangiri district headquarter hospital.
Ms. Sodi had joined the Maoist organisation in 2012. She was involved in several incidents of violence, including exchanges of fire with security personnel in Malkangiri and Chhattisgarh, and at least two murders in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
According to her, gender discrimination in the Maoist organisation as well as physical and mental harassment faced by female cadre at the hands of naxalite leaders was a major reason behind her surrender. She was also impressed by developmental activities taken up by the Odisha government in the remote areas of the Tulsi reserve forest. Increased area dominance and security penetration also pushed her to leave the Maoist organisation.
Ms. Sodi will be rehabilitated as per the surrender and rehabilitation scheme of the Odisha government. She will also get financial assistance to build her own house, pursue studies and get trained in some vocation of her choice.
