An 18-year-old CPI Maoist Rajinder Bhuiyan surrendered before SP Palamu Indrajeet Mahatha and Commandant 134 battalion of CRPF S K Linda in Daltonganj on Friday even as ASP Arun K Singh, deputy commandant of CRPF S Mohanty, DSPs Shambhu K Singh and Surjit Singh and others along with the ageing father and mother of the Maoist watched this.

The surrender of the Maoist presents the sensitive and humane face of Palamu police and CRPF, said SP Mahatha.

“Rajinder Bhuiyan is the first young Maoist of 18 years of age to surrender in Palamu as 7 others who had surrendered so far are all above 40 years of age. The surrender at 18 years of age shows Rajinder Bhuiyan knows what he should do for his life before him and in this he and his parents played a good role,” the SP said.

Bhuiyan had not joined Maoists outfit for any solution to stereo typed land dispute. He said since he is a TB patient he used to visit his doctor in Chhaterpur where in one return journey for his village Palhey he was seen by Rakesh Bhuiyan, sub zonal commander of CPI Maoist, who took his prescription and coerced him to run with the outfit in the year 2017 and he did what he was told by the Maoists.

He said his life was tough as he survived on Red Chilli sauce only for 15 days since police were around and food was not coming to the Maoists.

Rajinder admitted that he was in the February 8 encounter in which the Maoists suffered huge blows and taking advantage of the disintegration of Rakesh dasta in this encounter he ran away from the dasta, hid in a hill hungry and thirsty for three days as security forces were scouring the jungles.

But on the 4th day, he went to village Chetma, narrated his woes and hunger where villagers gave him food which he ate and walked down to his parents at Palhey.

Sources said DSP Chhaterpur Shambhu K Singh and his team worked hard here as this DSP convinced Rajinder’s parents to present his son before the police and on Friday he came with his father Ramsewak and surrendered before police and CRPF.

The SP said there are still three or four who are nearing 18 but are under the captivity of the Maoists and with the concerted effort of police and CRPF these captives too would be freed from the clutches of the Maoists.

Rajinder was in Maoist outfit when he was 17 years old and this will be put to his legal relief assured SP.

Rajinder’s father had a sense of hope that his son would get treatment for TB and his life would be normal.

Rajinder said, “We used to live in the cover of forest when situation was found not good and when the police were not around they came on the plains and Maoists used to cook food for them.”

Rajinder further said his cousin sister is still there and her life is hellish.

He got Rs 50,000 in cash while Rs 200,000 will come to him in two years @ of one lakh per year, said Mahatha.