Raipur, November 6: Aggrieved by the killing of Doordarshan cameraman Achyutananda Sahu, the cadres of CPI (Maoist) has rebelled against the leadership in Bastar region. According to DIG (Anti-Naxal Operation) DM Awasthi, the rebel faction has blamed the central naxal leadership, based in Andhra Pradesh region, of "betraying the movement" by targeting innocent tribals.

Reports of the purported split in Maoist cadres of Bastar comes along with the surrender of 68 disenchanted naxals. The insurgents were taken into custody by the police in Narayanpur district, with arms and ammunition seized from 55 among them. 62 Naxals Surrender in Chhattisgarh, Rajnath Singh Terms It 'Huge Achievement'.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh on the surrender of naxals, calling it a  major step to strengthen democracy in the state.

"I congratulate the State Chief Minister @drramansingh the DGP and the police force for this huge achievement," he tweeted soon after the surrender (sic)," Rajnath Singh said.

The surrendered naxals were dismayed by the attack on media personnel, and have also blamed the Maoists of targeting the local tribals who do not adhere to the their orders.

According to Awasthi, more numbers of naxals will surrender in the days to come as the CPI (Maoist) has been exposed as a terrorist organisation.

Most parts of the restive Bastar, claims the ruling BJP, wants to associate themselves with the mainstream. The party has appealed for large voter-turnout in the region, which goes to polls in the first phase on November 12.

While 18 seats will be contested in phase-I, the remaining 72 constituencies will witness a contest on November 20. The results will be declared on December 11.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 06, 2018 04:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).