Odisha Police to launch major Anti-Maoist operation in Gandhamardhan hills

Odisha Police are finalising preparations for a major anti-Maoist offensive in the Gandhamardhan hills a Maoist presence-prone forest belt spanning Bolangir and Bargarh districts as security forces intensify pressure on the insurgents ahead of a March 31 deadline to declare the state and the country ‘Naxal-free’, senior police officials said.

Additional Director General (ADG) of Police for Anti-Naxal Operations, Sanjeeb Panda, said a blueprint has been drawn to neutralise or arrest Maoist cadres believed to be sheltering in the thick forest and rugged terrain. Additional contingents of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Odisha Police’s elite Special Operations Group (SOG) are being deployed, Panda said.

Police have also intensified intelligence operations in Bolangir and Bargarh ahead of the planned offensive, he added. Meetings have been held with senior district officers and security stakeholders to firm up operational plans.

Recent months have seen a spate of violent clashes and security operations in different parts of the state. In late December, six Maoists including a central committee member carrying a bounty of ₹1.1 crore were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kandhamal district, marking one of the most significant blows to the insurgency in recent years.

Authorities also handed over the bodies of two Maoists killed in a separate firefight in Kandhamal last month, underlining the ongoing pace of counter-insurgency operations.

Meanwhile, mass surrenders have further weakened the Maoist network in Odisha . Twenty-two Maoists from Chhattisgarh laid down arms in Malkangiri district in December, and a senior CPI (Maoist) area committee member carrying a ₹21 lakh bounty surrendered this month, leading police to declare Malkangiri district ‘Naxal-free’.

In Koraput district, once among the worst affected by left-wing extremism, a 26-year-old woman Maoist cadre surrendered recently, leading authorities to declare the district free of Maoist presence.

Despite these gains, security forces remain alert to remaining Maoist activity along the tri-junction of Kandhamal, Rayagada and Kalahandi districts , where a senior anti-Naxal officer said some cadres could still be operating.

The state government has also been urging Maoists to surrender and avail themselves of the revised surrender and rehabilitation policy , which offers financial incentives and support to those renouncing violence. ADG Panda reiterated the appeal, saying efforts are being made to facilitate more defections ahead of the March deadline.

This dual approach combining hard security action with rehabilitation incentives comes as part of a nationwide push to eliminate left-wing extremism by the end of March 2026.