Jharkhand sees its biggest Maoist surrender amid push to end Left-Wing Extremism

📌 Summary:

• The campaign to end Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) has reached a decisive phase, with Jharkhand this week recording its biggest-ever surrender of Maoists — 27 cadres surrendered on Thursday

• The surrenders renew hope for the family of CRPF constable Badal Murmu, missing since January 2023 and believed to be held captive by Maoists under Misir Besra, described as the last active member of the banned outfit's Politburo

• Badal, a constable of the CRPF 197 Battalion, disappeared during an official assignment in Chaibasa's Saranda forest; his family has petitioned the President and met the Union Home Minister, but there has been no breakthrough

• Villagers report he has occasionally been seen with Besra's troops, unarmed; the family believes the Maoists are attempting ideological indoctrination but do not trust him enough to arm him

• The case illustrates the human cost of the LWE conflict and the security forces' stated commitment to continue tracing missing personnel even as the insurgency is steadily wound down

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Internal Security — Left-Wing Extremism as a threat to internal security, the surrender-and-rehabilitation strategy, and the security-development approach to the "Red Corridor".

🔑 Key Term: Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) — armed Maoist insurgency rooted in grievances over land, forest rights and development deficits, addressed by the state through a combined security and development strategy.