India
Once enemy of democracy, ex-Maoist commander to vote in Gadchiroli on November 20 | India News – Times of India
The former Maoist commander-in-chief of the central India stronghold of Abujmarh, with a record of 149 charges against him and a bounty of Rs 9.5 lakh, renounced extremism three years ago and became a staunch advocate of democracy. He cast his vote for the first time during the 2024 LS polls. Kolha joined the Maoists after his mother was branded a witch and almost lynched. Since his surrender in 2021, he has told authorities how he once led Guerrilla Army for People’s Liberation in attacks to disrupt polls, sabotage booths and ambush officials.
Kolha set poll traps and detonated explosives
“Once dedicated to subverting elections, Kolha’s story now represents a powerful shift,” said Gadchiroli SP Neelotpal, among whom 21 Maoists have surrendered, 54 have been arrested and 33 have been shot in the last two years. Kolha, an IED expert and the only guerrilla to surrender with an AK-47, once led PLGA fighters in laying traps in front of polling stations and detonating explosives in the dense forests.
Sources said Kolha held rallies in remote villages, urging indigenous villagers to boycott elections and organized violent campaigns to prevent politicians from entering these hamlets. He had also planned assassinations and destroyed EVMs to derail the elections. He has now settled in Navjeevan Vasahaat and works as a driver for Lloyds Khonsari Steel Plant – a project he once opposed as a Maoist. Kolha and other former fighters have found new livelihoods through these local industrial jobs.
“Surrendered Maoists are now campaigning to debunk disruptive ideologies and supporting elected governments for the development of their countries,” Neelotpal said.
