Maoist couple involved in attack that killed 39 jawans, surrender; get new lease of life

A couple who joined the Maoist movement when they were teenagers and later got involved in violent activities that led to the killings of 39 security personnel and injuring another 50 in Bastar region, surrendered before the police Thursday to lead a peaceful married life.Podium Nanda, 26, joined the movement in 2015 when he was 18 and his wife Somme alias Bhime, 24, joined in 2012 as a Bal Sangam member when she was 13. Bal Sangham is the cultural wing of Maoists for children to be educated on Maoist ideology. Both are from remote villages in Sukma with little to no access to electricity. While Nanda has studied till second grade, his partner Bhime is uneducated and illiterate.

Both were working as Local Organization Squad (LOS) members in Jagargunda and Konta. The duo was involved in the 2020 attack in Sukma district where 17 security personnel were killed and 15 were injured. The couple were also involved in the attack in Tekalguda village in Bijapur where 22 security personnel were killed and 35 were injured. Nanda was also involved in an IED blast where a civilian was injured, arson of vehicles and damaging a road.