With less than 24 hours for the deadline on ceasefire offered to the Naxalites to lapse, no ultra had offered to give up arms till late Saturday evening. Chief minister Jagadish Shettar had declared the ceasefire from 6 am on September 17 to 6 pm on September 23. The combing operations in the Naxal-infested areas had been suspended to allow the Maoists to surrender.
The government had declared the ceasefire, claiming that the Maoist leaders were willing to surrender and sought ceasefire. But in the five days since the ceasefire began, not even a foot soldier of the CPI (Maoist) has given up arms. The only hope is to see some Maoists surrendering by 6 pm on Sunday. But the chances seem very bleak. It is not clear why the Maoists, who were said to be keen, have not surrendered till now. The silence from the Maoist side has raised the apprehension of the people and the police that the Naxalites have utilised the ceasefire to regroup themselves and are hatching a plot to carryout strikes.
“The Maoists have backed out of their promise. It looks like instead of surrendering, they have used the one-week window to strengthen themselves with fresh supplies of arms and food,” a senior police officer said. As the combing operation had stopped, there are also possibilities of Maoists escaping to safer havens.
But Anti-Naxal force IGP Alok Kumar is optimistic. “It is true that nobody has approached for surrendering till Saturday evening. But there is still hope as there is one more day left,” he said. “We will wait till Sunday evening. We will decide the next course after discussing with higher-ups,” Mr Kumar said.