Former Maoist Found Dead at Chhattisgarh Rehab Centre Ahead of Release

A 26‑year‑old former Maoist was found dead, apparently by suicide, at a government rehabilitation centre in Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh on Wednesday morning. Police identified the body as Narsu Boddu, also known as Naiti, a resident of Kamkanar in the Gangaloor area, a hotspot for Maoist recruitment. Boddu had been a low‑level cadre who, according to police, never faced any serious criminal case, and he had not handled a firearm during his five‑to‑six‑year stint in the movement. He surrendered in February 2024 and entered the centre voluntarily in July to receive cash assistance, a mobile handset and skill training in farming and fishery, as part of the state’s reintegration scheme. The programme slated him to finish the agricultural training and return home within a week. Fellow inmates discovered his body in a bathroom at about 7 a.m.; a post‑mortem was ordered and a magisterial inquiry launched by Superintendent of Police Umesh Prasad Gupta. Police said no foul play was evident and no suicide note was found. Boddu’s brother Satish, however, claimed his sibling was called for rehabilitation again after an earlier return in 2025 and suggested possible misconduct. Satish recounted a last phone call at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, after which he learned of the death from an aunt. The tragedy marks the third suicide in Boddu’s family: his mother died by suicide two years earlier and his brother took his own life four to five years ago. Authorities said they regularly counsel former militants and run sports activities, and they will tighten monitoring after this incident. The centre is one of several in the Bastar region created after waves of surrenders since early 2025, following a government deadline of March 31 to eliminate Maoism.

Context

The rehabilitation centre is part of a nationwide scheme aimed at reintegrating surrendered Maoists, a policy intensified after the Union Home Minister announced the country free from Maoism in early 2026.