In a significant breakthrough for anti-insurgency operations in the state, four active Maoist cadres, including three women, surrendered before Southern Range Inspector General (IG) Niti Shekhar at the Police Reserve Office in Berhampur on Friday.
During a press briefing, IG Shekhar stated that the individuals were members of the CPI (Maoist) KKBN (Kandhamal-Kalahandi-Boudh-Nayagarh) division and surrendered before the Kandhamal Police.
“Out of these four, three are women, and one is a man. All of them originally hail from various districts in Chhattisgarh, including Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada. They have been involved in several violent encounters and criminal cases. However, due to the intensified anti-Maoist operations by the Odisha Police and the attractive surrender and rehabilitation policy of the State Government, they decided to join the mainstream. I am also pleased to announce that with these ongoing efforts, Boudh district has now become completely Maoist-free. We expect Kandhamal district to be Naxal-free very soon as well,” IG Shekhar said in the press briefing.
Ganga Kunjami, one of the surrendered Maoists, shared her perspective on the decision, stating, “We were working with the KKBN division. We realised that there is no future in this path of violence. Our leaders have also died in recent operations. The police operations in the forests have become very intense, and we can no longer hide. We observed that many others are surrendering and seeking government assistance, so we decided to proceed. I want to tell my other friends who are still in the jungle: please leave the path of violence, come out, and surrender to the police. The government will help you start a new life.”
Earlier, Odisha DGP Yogesh Bahadur Khurania said on the surrender of top-tier leadership, noting that senior figures Niranjan Rout (alias Nikhil) and Rashmita Lenka (aka Indu), along with 13 others, recently surrendered before the Rayagada police. Highlighting the 4 surrenders before the Kandhamal police, the DGP noted that the Odisha police achieved significant success throughout 2025, moving steadily toward a strategic deadline set for March 2026.
This wave of surrenders follows a major blow to the banned organisation. Previously in Malkangiri, an underground CPI (Maoist) Area Committee Member (ACM) renounced violence and joined the mainstream.
During that surrender, the cadre laid down an SLR rifle, 12 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, and other tactical gear before the Malkangiri Police, signalling a collapse of local extremist infrastructure.
The surrendered cadre formally renounced violence and severed all links with extremist activities, opting instead to place their faith in the democratic process. This shift in ideology among operational leaders is being viewed as a decisive victory for the state’s security apparatus.
Ultimately, the surrender of these key ideological and operational leaders marks a final blow to the CPI (Maoist) presence in the region.
Consequently, authorities have officially declared the Malkangiri District Naxal-free, marking a historic turning point in Odisha’s internal security landscape.
