Bhubaneswar: Asserting that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) no longer poses a threat in the state, Odisha Police Tuesday said the surrender window for the remaining Maoists has been closed with the deadline ending March 31.
Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Sanjeeb Panda said only a handful of Maoists remain active in Kandhamal district, and security forces will now focus on eliminating them.
“Only about eight to nine Maoists are left in Kandhamal district. Now that the surrender deadline is over, we will focus on tracking them down to achieve complete success,” he told reporters.
His remarks came a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that the country has become free of Naxal violence.
Panda said the mission to end LWE by March 31 was challenging but was achieved through coordinated efforts of security forces, the state government and public cooperation.
He said that while nine districts were affected by Maoist activities at the beginning of 2025, the presence is now confined to a small part of Kandhamal.
Panda said 239 security personnel from different forces have lost their lives in the state in the fight against Naxalites.
The casualties include 142 Odisha Police personnel, 25 CRPF jawans, 15 BSF personnel, 10 CISF personnel, 38 Andhra Pradesh Police personnel and nine Chhattisgarh Police personnel.
He said security forces neutralised 27 Maoists, including two central committee members, arrested nine and facilitated the surrender of 120 cadres in 2025 and 2026.
At the peak of Maoist activity, 21 of the state’s 30 districts were affected by LWE, he said.
“Since 2025, we have eliminated Maoist presence from eight districts — Malkangiri, Koraput, Bolangir, Boudh, Nuapada, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Kalahandi,” he added.
Panda also claimed that the banned CPI (Maoist) has failed to carry out fresh recruitment in the last two years due to declining public support.
He said Maoists have killed 359 civilians in the state over the years.
“I pay homage to the police martyrs and civilian victims. This success in the fight against Maoists is dedicated to their supreme sacrifice,” he said.
Panda said that although Maoist influence has been eliminated, security forces will remain deployed in vulnerable areas for at least two more years and continue operations to prevent any resurgence.
