Bhubaneswar: A hardcore Maoist with a cash reward of Rs 4 lakh on his head, Bijaya Punem alias Ajay, surrendered today before the Rayagada SP. Originally from Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, Ajay was an active member of the Bansadhara-Ghumsur-Nagabali (BGN) division of the Maoist group.
He surrendered with his personal weapon and ammunition, citing several reasons for his decision, including the flawed ideology of CPI (Maoist) cadres, rude leadership behavior, tough terrain in Odisha, scarcity of food, water, and clothing, and language barriers.
Ajay joined the banned CPI (Maoist) outfit in 2009. After his initial training, he was assigned to the security detail of Modem Balakrishna alias Manoj, a central committee member.
By 2014, he was promoted to area committee member while continuing as Manoj’s gunman. In 2023, he was transferred to the BGN division, operating in the Ghumsar area since January 2024.
His involvement includes the killing of a civilian in Kandhamal in May 2024 and six gunfights with police in the same district between 2021 and 2024. These encounters occurred at Meragudi, Sirla, Jodeipani, Sikasar, Chadeipalli, and Kodang. Notably, two security personnel were injured during the Kodang gunfight on July 12, 2021.
Since 2006, a total of 647 Maoists have surrendered to the Odisha Police, with 29 of those surrenders occurring in Rayagada district.