DGP vows to neutralise Maoists

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Director General of Police Yogesh Bahadur Khurania on Saturday said the State police was making all efforts to meet the deadline of March 31, 2026, to eliminate Maoists from the country. He made the statement after chairing a meeting with senior officers of CRPF and BSF at Phulbani in Kandhmal district.

“As you know, the Union Home Minister has set a deadline to eliminate Maoists from the Indian soil. We are working in that direction, and the meeting today reviewed our progress and next course of action,” he said. After visiting Boudh district, the DGP reached Kandhamal, the lone place in the State that still witnesses Maoist movements. “Therefore, all concentrations are now on Kandhmal,” said a senior officer associated with the anti-Maoist operations.

“Though there are a handful of Odia-speaking people in the proscribed organisation at present, the majority of the cadre come from neighbouring Chhattisgarh,” he said, noting that the number of local Maoists could be a maximum of eight.

To tackle Left-Wing Extremism, the State government has taken steps against ganja cultivation, intensified counter-insurgency operations and augmented developmental projects, he added.

Khurania said, “We have achieved major success in Boudh, Kandhamal, Rayagada, Malkangiri and Koraput, by destroying ganja cultivation being carried out by the Maoists through their supporters.

Ganja smuggling was the main source of funds for their operation. This has been stopped.”

The State is conducting vigorous combing operations using forces like Special Operations Group (SOG), District Voluntary Force (DVF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Border Security Force (BSF). Drone surveillance is also being utilised in dense forest areas.

Odisha is working closely with the police of neighbouring States, especially Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, to conduct coordinated operations and prevent Maoist cadres from using State borders as safe havens.

Major successes in recent years include the killing or arrest of top Maoist commanders, which has significantly weakened their command structure and operational capacity in the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) region. Odisha government also has surrender and rehabilitation policy which encourages Maoist cadres to lay down arms.