Sangita Pusu Podadi, Woman Maoist, Surrenders to Gadchiroli Police
On August 21, Sangita Pusu Podadi, a 40-year-old woman Maoist, surrendered to the Gadchiroli Police and the Central Reserve Police Force. She had a bounty of Rs six lakh for various crimes, including seven encounters with security forces and three murder cases.
Podadi was also involved in the 2008 arson of tractors and JCB vehicles on a road construction site. She cited neglect of medical issues, discrimination against women, and exploitation of tribal youths by senior Maoists as reasons for her surrender. She revealed that tribals were killed based on suspicion of being police informers and that male Maoists often abandoned female Maoists during encounters.
The Maharashtra Government’s Surrender cum Rehabilitation Policy, implemented since 2005, has led to 672 Maoists surrendering to the Gadchiroli Police.
Doubts Revealed
Maoist -: Maoists are people who follow the ideas of Mao Zedong, a Chinese leader. In India, some Maoists fight against the government because they want to change how things are run.
Gadchiroli -: Gadchiroli is a district in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is known for having a lot of forests and some problems with Maoist activities.
Central Reserve Police Force -: The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is a big group of police in India. They help keep peace and fight against bad people, like Maoists.
bounty -: A bounty is a reward or money given to someone for catching or helping to catch a criminal. In this case, Rs six lakh was the reward for catching Sangita Pusu Podadi.
encounters -: Encounters are fights or battles between police and criminals. Sangita Pusu Podadi was involved in seven such fights.
discrimination -: Discrimination means treating someone unfairly because of who they are, like their gender or race. Sangita felt women were treated unfairly by the Maoists.
exploitation -: Exploitation means taking unfair advantage of someone. Sangita said senior Maoists were taking advantage of young tribal people.
tribal youths -: Tribal youths are young people from tribal communities. Tribes are groups of people who have their own culture and traditions.
Surrender cum Rehabilitation Policy -: This is a plan by the Maharashtra Government to help Maoists who want to stop fighting. They get help to start a new life if they surrender.
