Maoist couple surrender

PURI: Maoists Anirudha Behera alias Prakash and his wife Rajlaxmi Biswal, both senior members of the outlawed outfit, surrendered before Puri police on Sunday.Presenting the couple before the media, SP Sanjay Kumar said they wanted to say goodbye to violence and join the mainstream. Anirudha from Arilo village under the Nimapara police limits had joined the outfit in 2006 and in due course became a senior member in the Ghumusar division committee headed by Sabyasachi Panda.He had participated in a number of violent incidents in Nayagarh and other areas in the State.Rajlaxmi alias Nikku, belonging to  Paikakula village of Jagatsinghpur, had joined a year later and was working as a cultural secretary of the committee.Anirudha and Rajlaxmi reportedly fell in love and married despite opposition from Sabyasachi. Thereupon, they were stripped of all ranks and tortured. Rajlaxmi said women cadres were sexually exploited and mentally tortured by their male counterparts.