Bhubaneswar: With Odisha police on Tuesday officially declaring the state free of Maoist influence, a decision was taken to discontinue the surrender and rehabilitation policy for those rebels who did not lay down arms by the March 31 deadline. According to the police, only 8-9 lower-rung Maoists remain and combing operations are currently on in the forests of Kandhamal to neutralise the threat.“We have succeeded in eliminating left-wing extremism from the state. The handful of Naxals who remain in Kandhamal pose no threat to Odisha. Since the deadline has lapsed, we will not accept surrenders any more. They may either be neutralised or arrested,” said ADG (anti-Naxal operations) Sanjeeb Panda, adding, “I thank the chief minister for implementing a top-of-the-line surrender and rehabilitation policy.”Panda said the CPI (Maoist) has collapsed in Odisha, with no fresh cadre recruitment reported. “Between 2025 and 2026 so far, we have removed 156 cadres from the Maoist ecosystem through encounters, arrests and surrenders. Of these, 78 — including several senior leaders — surrendered in Odisha, while 42 laid down arms in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana,” Panda said.During this period, security forces gunned down 10 Maoists in Odisha and 17 in Chhattisgarh in joint operations, including two highest-ranking central committee members, Chalapathi and Ganesh Uike.While the Maoist presence has been significantly reduced, police said security deployment will hold positions to prevent a relapse. “We are still in alert mode and have not lowered our guard. Our full concentration is now in Kandhamal,” Panda said.Police said that in 2025, nine districts — Koraput, Malkangiri, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Kandhamal, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Bargarh and Balangir — were under Maoist influence. Today, only a small patch in Kandhamal shows limited activity.The victory, however, came at a heavy cost. “The decades-long battle was not easy to win. We lost 239 security personnel and 359 civilians. Their sacrifices will be remembered forever. This victory is dedicated to our martyrs,” Panda said, while commending the efforts of the special operations group, district voluntary force, CRPF, BSF and the special intelligence wing in the fight against Maoists.
