The Bihar Police on Thursday said the state has become “Maoist-free” after the surrender of senior Maoist leader Suresh Koda alias Mustakim, who was carrying a bounty of Rs 3 lakh, The New Indian Express reported.
Koda surrendered before the Special Task Force in Munger district on Wednesday, PTI quoted the police headquarters as saying.
He had allegedly been evading arrest for around 25 years and was named in about 60 cases, many registered under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Koda was a commander of a special area committee and a member of the Bihar-Jharkhand Special Zonal Committee of the JB Zone of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), The New Indian Express reported.
He was believed to be the last armed commander of Maoist squads active in the state, Bihar Police Director General (Operations), Kundan Krishnan said.
“This is a historic day,” Krishnan said. “Bihar is now almost completely Maoist-free because none of the armed Maoist is present in Bihar as of now.”
BREAKING NEWS 🚨 📢
Officials declare Bihar 'Naxal-free' after Naxalite Suresh Koda with bounty of ₹3 lakh surrenders in Munger. pic.twitter.com/fkb3fRld8N
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) February 19, 2026 Koda surrendered along with assault rifles, including Indian Small Arms Systems and Avtomat Kalashnikova-series weapons, more than 500 rounds of ammunition and some cash.
He surrendered under the state government’s “Atmasmarpan Sah Punarvaas Yojana”, a rehabilitation scheme for surrendered Maoists.
Under the scheme, he will receive Rs 3 lakh equivalent to the bounty on his head, an additional Rs 5 lakh as part of the surrender policy, a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 for 36 months for vocational training and compensation for the arms and ammunition handed over.
The Union government has vowed to end Maoism by March 31, 2026.
In February, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said that the number of districts affected by “Left-wing extremism” has come down to eight from 11 in October.
These districts include Bijapur, Dantewada, Gariyaband, Kanker, Narayanpur and Sukma in Chhattisgarh, West Singhbhum in Jharkhand, and Kandhamal in Odisha.
In the course of the Union government’s anti-Maoist offensive in 2025, key Maoist leaders like Ganesh Uike and Madvi Hidma have been killed, while others like Vikas Nagpure, alias Anant, andMallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Bhupathi, have surrendered.
Civil liberties groups and Opposition parties have also questioned some of the killings of reward-carrying Maoists, alleging that they constitute “fake encounters”.
Also read: As Maoists retreat, why many fear security forces in Chhattisgarh villages
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