Kolkata, May 23 (IANS) Seven members of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), including a body guard of slain rebel leader Kishenji, Wednesday surrendered with weapons in West Bengal's Jhargram district, police said.
This follows an appeal from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said Jhargram Superintendent of Police Bharati Ghosh.
The Maoists were in their 20s and 30s. They laid down their arms before Director General of West Bengal Police Naparajit Mukherjee.
The arms they surrendered included a self-loading rifle, some .356 series rifles and 100 rounds of ammunition, he said.
One of the rebels is Jagannath Soren alias Hero, the body guard of slain Maoist leader Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji.
As per the government's rehabilitation policy for rebels who give up arms, each one of them would be getting Rs.50,000, a stipend of Rs.2,000 per month, training in vocational skills and Rs.2 lakh in fixed deposit which can be encashed after three years.
The surrendered rebels would be kept in a safe house to protect them from retaliation by their former comrades.
So far, 23 Maoists have surrendered after the Trinamool Congress came to power in the state last year.
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